Abe Pintchuck
Abe Pintchuck was born in Sarasota and has lived here his entire life. His interest in marine life sparked by always being at the beach as a child and living near the beach all his life. His favorite things are going to the beach, playing lacrosse, and hanging out with friends. He plays lacrosse for our school, His favorite marine animal is a shark.
Andrew Lechner
My name is Andrew Lechner and I am a student at Riverview high school. I am in the 12th grade and I am a part of the stars to starfish internship program. So far, it has been a very fun and worthwhile experience! My hobbies includes the guitar ensemble for Riverview, bike riding, and jogging! What i want to do in the future is helping the marine science scene as a volunteer and something like Criminology.
Cade Kirkpatrick
Hi my name is Cade Kirkpatrick and I’m seventeen years old. I have lived in Sarasota all my life. I enjoy fishing, diving, and paddling. I enjoy the water and after high school I plan of going to college.
Cesar Barajas-Colon
Cesar Barajas-Colon is a senior, who is attending Riverview High School and is taking the Stars to Starfish Internship. He was born and fully raised in Florida. He likes everything about sharks, which is the reason he took IB Marine Science. He hopes to be an shark expert as a job in the future, if the accounting career doesn’t work out for him.
Kai Mcleod
Hi fellow fish people. My name is Kai Mcleod, fish enthusiast. I have lived in sarasota Florida my whole life and love the ocean. My favorite type of fish has to be a turtle. I also play soccer and im the captain of the varsity team here at Riverview High School. I love all animals and am looking forward to my future of living with them. I have a beta fish named Kendall. She is the only one in my family that gets me so sometimes I’ll spend hours talking to her. Shes a great listener and that’s why I love this class.
Kaylee Pham
Born in Sarasota, Florida, Kaylee Pham is a junior at Riverview High School taking Honors, AP, and IB classes. Besides marine science, her favorite subjects are psychology and math (she secretly enjoys reading her psychology textbook.) Additionally, Kaylee has two birds and spends her free time talking to her best friends, painting in her sketchbook, and observing others’ creations. During the summer, she volunteers at Save Our Seabirds, where she helps baby birds prepare to survive in the wild. When the school year arrives, she has fun teaching children about marine life in Stars to Starfish–she believes that the future lies within everybody. Ensuring that these kids know they can protect nature while learning about its beauty is important to her as she spends time in the wonderful program.
Kye Dixon
Kye Dixon, was born in Manchester New Hampshire. He moved to Sarasota his junior year. His life long love of sharks has brought him to this internship. His favorite shark is the Bull shark because the famous movie Jaws was based off a Bull shark. He is also the Varsity Left Guard for the Riverview football team.
Lauryn Dougherty
Hi I’m Lauryn Dougherty, a senior at Riverview high school in the Stars to Starfish program. My mom is a teacher here at Riverview and my dad works at Mote Marine Aquarium. When I’m not at the beach, I am volunteering at Mote Marine. I am also an intern for Reef + Ledge, where I design the women’s line apparel. I will be attending college at Florida Atlantic University and studying graphic design.
Mattie Zeeff
My name is Mattie Zeeff. I play on the Riverview Rams football team and I’m on the weightlifting team as well. I am an honors student with a 3.4 GPA and I plan to attend UCF, USF, or FAU. I clean the snook tanks and take care of the snook as part of the Stars to Starfish program and it is really fun teaching the kids when they come on field trips, because I didn’t have this when I came on field trips here at Riverview.
Maxwell Rifkin
Hi! My name is Maxwell Rifkin and I am a junior at Riverview High School in Sarasota, Florida. I was born in Voorhees, New Jersey but was raised down here in Sarasota. I enjoy taking care of our fascinating fish at the AquaDome and am currently considering a marine science career for my future, but for now, I am doing dual enrollment with Suncoast Technical College for Computer Systems & Information Technology; I am great at taking initiative for tasks and a very independent and dependable worker. In addition, of course, I look forward to continuing to intern for the RHS AquaDome.
McLain Miller
Hi! My name is McLain Miller and I am a senior here at Riverview High School. This is my first year in the Stars to Starfish program and I am thoroughly enjoying every moment of it. Here at Riverview I take AP and IB classes and I am part of the Papillon club. When I am not at school you can find me at ballet rehearsal from Monday through Friday at Gulf Coast Ballet. I am hoping to attend University of South Florida in the coming fall to study child psychology, elementary education, or pediatric nursing. I look forward to showing more students around the Aquadome!
Morgan Windsor
Morgan Windsor was born in Sarasota, Florida. She is a senior and the Vice President of the Marine Club. She is a two-year intern for the Stars to Starfish Program. She enjoys going to the beach, kayaking, and running. Some of her favorite things to do are play basketball, and help behind the scenes a Mote Marine Aquarium. She is a lifeguard and swim instructor for kids at the YMCA. She has played on the varsity basketball team for four years as a point guard, and is the team captain this year. After high school, she will attend Florida Southern College to pursue a career in the marine biology and veterinarian field, to hopefully become a marine veterinarian.
Ryan Neal
Hi my name is Ryan Neal, I am in Stars to Starfish because I love fishing and the ocean. My tank is the touch tank, where it holds hermit crabs, starfish, jellyfish and more. My favorite kind of fish is the tarpon. I like how they jump out of the water and put up an intense fight. When I graduate high school I want to go off to college and get a degree is business.
Tony Rzewnicki
Tony Rzewnicki is a senior at Riverview High school. He likes to go to the beach and be anywhere near the water. Some of his favorite things to do is play soccer and hang out with friends. He works at Serenoa Country Club and loves his job. He was born and raised in Florida and loves to learn about the marine life here in Florida.
Tofer Sutphin
My name is Tofer Sutphin, I am a senior at Riverview High school, and in the Stars to Starfish program. I was born and raised in Sarasota, Florida. I like making music. My favorite part about being in Stars to Starfish is being able to go down to the aquadome everyday and getting to feed/play with all the sharks, and fish.
Tyra Scott
Tyra Scott was born and raised in Palm Desert, California before moving to Florida. The 17 year old senior from Riverview High School is currently taking the IB Marine Science class, something she thoroughly enjoys. At first, marine life was just a childhood curiosity, but as time elapsed, she became more invested. The Stars-to-Starfish intern and hobby fish keeper plans to start her own research to see how marine life is affected by electromagnetic waves emitted from technology.
Will McFadden
Hello everyone, my name is Will McFadden. I am a senior here at Riverview High School. I am on the varsity soccer team, in the Cornerstone club as well as the Surf club. I enjoy being on the water and observing the aqua-culture. I was born in Sarasota and love being around the water. I love boating, snorkeling, and scuba diving. I plan on going to college to study mechanical engineering.
Ram Nation Aquascience 