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Maddie Cholnoky’s love of the ocean runs deep. Even her first word was “fish.” So when it came time to choose a college, she was sure of two things: First, she wanted a learning environment where she could build relationships with her professors and fellow classmates, similar to her small New York high school. And second, she needed to be close to the ocean. At Rollins, she found both. Today, Cholnoky is stationed in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where she works as the implementation manager for Mission: Iconic Reefs, a large-scale, partner-driven coral restoration and research project led by NOAA that started in 2019. Every day, she gets to preserve the environment she is most passionate about and inspire others to do the same.

I pinch myself every day that I get to do what I love. Whether I’m on the computer analyzing data or diving underwater, I feel grateful that I have the opportunity to work in a field that inspires me.

When I’m in the water, I’m doing scientific dives with our field team. That means I use tools like temperature loggers and underwater cameras to monitor maintenance activities and track coral restoration efforts. I check on baby corals to see how they’re progressing and focus on understanding restoration partners and their practices to help move our collective mission forward. On the flip side, I also spend a lot of time on the computer, using software like ArcGIS to map and assess incoming data from surveys and identify ways to collaborate with partners and overcome barriers. I love that my job is multifaceted—something that my Rollins experience really prepared me for. My role acts as a bridge, connecting the right people to advance our mission effectively.

My career path hasn’t been linear. After I graduated from Rollins with an environmental studies degree, I went to work in Chicago for a private investment firm. I missed the ocean so much that I spent every weekend at the Shedd Aquarium. I lasted about a year. Then I moved to Key Largo, where I became a PADI Dive Instructor and spent a few years teaching diving at Rainbow Reef Dive Center.

During that time, I helped build up various conservation initiatives for their dive operation—things like debris removal and coral restoration projects and ecological courses. Eventually, I took on the role of conservation coordinator, working with local nonprofits and government agencies to get permits and coordinate funding for the dive operation. It was around the end of the COVID pandemic, and I was still working for the dive operator when I decided to get my master’s degree in environmental sciences and policy at Johns Hopkins University. This really helped solidify my career path.

The ocean had always been a place that centered me in different points of my life, and it all started at Rollins. I joined the scuba diving club in my first year, where I met some of my closest friends to this day, and I went on a field study to Costa Rica headed up by [environmental studies professor] Barry Allen, who had a great impact on my time at Rollins. In my junior year, I studied abroad at Bond University on the Gold Coast of Australia. It was incredible because I got to see this place in the world that I had dreamed about for so long and interact with people doing marine conservation. I got to see really innovative coral research firsthand and hear people talking about how to interact with the reef in a safe, respectful way.

When I was at Rollins, I appreciated how approachable the professors were and how invested they were in me. They always had their doors open and were so willing to talk to me and say, “You’ve got this.” I learned a lot about critical thinking. I became comfortable with questioning the way things were and asking if things can be improved. I use all those skills now every day.

I’ve stayed close to professors like [art history professor] MacKenzie Moon Ryan, who pushed me to be a better writer, and Tim Morris, who ran the scuba diving club. I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn't have people like them to encourage and support me. I want to be that for other people, especially those who feel inspired by the ocean.

One of the things I’m most passionate about is the collaboration with scientists, recreational divers, snorkelers, and dive operators in my work with Mission: Iconic Reefs. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach because we are trying to restore 25 percent coral coverage to achieve coral biomass, which is so important for things like helping to protect our coastlines from storms and erosion. Over half a billion people depend on reefs for food, income, and protection. Volunteers, known as Iconic Reef Guardians, help with coral nurseries and other conservation tasks. The more people who learn about and become inspired by this mission, the more we can grow and take action to preserve and restore our reefs.

When I think of my most memorable dives, I remember my first experience in a coral nursery here in Key Largo. The framework for growing new corals looked like trees with coral Christmas ornaments on them, and there were fish and turtles swimming around them. It looked like they went on forever. Seeing these innovative structures, helping clean them, and being around people who care as much as I do—it was incredible. At that point I had over a hundred dives logged, but this was something different and hopeful. The experience reminded me that there’s always something new and magical in the ocean, and it reinvigorated my purpose in preserving it.

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