“The first breath of air underwater is absolutely exhilarating,” Nicole Stillwell ’20 recalls. “You think you can imagine what the experience is like, yet it is just a whole other planet, another faraway kingdom most people never get to step inside.”

Just off the British Virgin Islands, in the deep blue waters of the Caribbean Sea is where Nicole spent many hours during her unforgettable Summer Signature Experience. It was two weeks of learning and exploration at a diving and marine biology camp, that provided Nicole with fascinating up-close views of green sea turtles sailing through the water. “There was something about it that stuck in my memory,” she said. “Without exaggeration, I was captivated.”

And the experience continued when she came back to New Jersey and went straight to volunteering at the Terrapin Nesting Project on Long Beach Island. There, Nicole fashioned special baskets to place over turtle nests to protect the eggs from predators. And when she returned to campus in September, she brought hatchlings so Peddie students and faculty could participate in giving baby turtles the head start they need to survive in the wild.

Nicole’s Signature Experience couldn’t have fulfilled her passion any better. “I have always been drawn to the ocean and enticed by the mystery that it is,” she said. “I didn’t only learn about the ocean and the animals that live in it, I learned about myself and that I was able to push my limits to achieve my goals.”

My Signature Experience taught me to pursue any opportunity or new adventure without hesitation. Take the plunge! Nicole Stillwell