Sarah Girouard
Board of Directors
Portland, Maine
she, her, hers
IDEXX
How do you spend your days? What are your passions? What is your occupation?
I work as a Contract Analyst/Project Manager at IDEXX. While not working, I'm currently renovating a house I just bought and always trying to get outside with my dog Rosie as much as possible (hiking, skiing, etc).
Explain your connection to the ocean. How does it influence your life?
I've been lucky that the ocean has always been a part of my life. As a kid, I was fortunate enough to be able to explore the ocean through summer camps, go out on the water with my family, or just visit a local beach and explore. I've always been fascinated by it and wanted to continue that into my education at Northeastern. Once I got SCUBA certified and went diving, my world completely changed. I always say SCUBA diving is like visiting a whole different world, its quiet, serene and almost meditative, while also getting exposed to countless organisms & ecosystems. My love for the ocean drives my daily activities and also efforts in doing what I can to protect it as much as possible.
The mission of Saltwater Classroom is to bring together young students, as well as learners of all ages, through an innovative approach to ocean education. How does this apply to your experience?
My love and passion for the ocean is something I hope to bring to SWC students and programming, as I want to expose as many minds to the beauty of the ocean, but also the consequences of unsustainable practices and lifestyles and how it can impact the ocean. I'm always surprised at how often I find people, who grew up or have access to the ocean daily, know very little about how integral it is to our environment so I hope to push our outreach to children, but also adults in our community.
What are your earliest ocean memories?
Hard to specify as I've been close to the ocean as long as I remember - might have to be our annual family trip to Rye Beach in NH where I lived in the ocean nonstop and would search for sea life in the rocks for hours.
If you had to pick one thing, what is your favorite aspect of the ocean? We know, it's a broad question.
How calm and meditative it is. For me, being near or in the ocean creates instant relaxation and is a sort of therapy that I haven't quite found anywhere else.
Is there a dream ocean destination on your list? Where would you travel to next?
Roatan, Honduras - absolute bucket list dream is to see whale sharks during migration seasons
Anything else to add?
Project Manager