At age 16, my family moved from Puerto Rico to Brooklyn, New York and I graduated from Lafayette High School. I wanted a career at sea and attended SUNY Maritime College. For the Summer Sea Term I sailed on the training ship Empire State (pictured above) to Curacao, Venezuela, Gibraltar, Morocco, and Spain. I learned how to navigate using the stars (Celestial Navigation) and majored in Computer Science.
I realized that a career navigating the oceans was not for me and transferred to John Jay College of Criminal Justice and majored in Computer Information Systems with a minor in Forensic Psychology. I graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in 1997. This was just three years before the dreaded Y2K Scare, aka The Millennium Bug. Are you old enough to remember that? If not, here is a link with more information.
YES! I was one of those IT experts on December 31, 1999 in a Data Center on Wall Street waiting for the computer meltdown. I had spent the years between 1997 and 2000 working an average of 50-60 hours as a systems analyst changing code from using a two digit year to a 4 digit year. Tons of job opportunities related to "correcting" the Y2K bug.
Lets just say that I was not fulfilled at all and was more fascinated by listening to others as they express their feelings and sharing reflections while sitting in New York City bars. First time I realized that I was a good listener, btw. I grew disillusioned with a career in Technology. I had donated money to several environmental organizations and decided I was going to make a change. The one environmental activist group I was following closely at the time was looking for volunteers and I signed up...
I quit my job, grabbed only the possessions I could fit in my Jeep Wrangler, and travelled cross country from New York City to the San Juan Islands in Washington State. I was going to spend the summer of the year 2000 as a volunteer for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, at the time headquartered in Friday Harbor. The San Juan Islands are home to three Orca Pods and I kayaked amongst those Orcas and was an amazing experience. Somehow, I ended back at sea.
Continue to the Ocean Warrior page to continue on my journey ...
