Marine Biology Teacher
What Two Years in the Classroom Taught Me About the Ocean, and People
I never planned to become a teacher.
I planned to be in the water. But life has a way of redirecting you somewhere you didn’t know you needed to go first — and South Broward High School was mine.
From July 2023 to August 2025, I taught Marine Science Honors, Marine Science, and AICE Marine Science II at one of Florida’s only dedicated Marine Magnet programs. What started as a role I stepped into with a degree in marine biology and a lot of belief in young people became two of the most formative years of my life.
The Cambridge Curriculum: What 96% Actually Means
AICE — the Advanced International Certificate of Education — is Cambridge University’s pre-university program. It is not a standard AP course. It is internationally benchmarked, academically rigorous, and designed to mirror the expectations of a university-level curriculum. Students sit external exams marked by Cambridge assessors. There is no curving. There is no partial credit safety net. You either know the material or you don’t.
My students passed at a 96% rate.
That number didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of late study sessions, because I rebuilt lessons when the first version didn’t land, because I learned my students — how they absorbed information, what made them light up, what made them shut down — and I taught to all of it. Science is only as good as the person who can communicate it, and I held myself to that standard every single day.
At a Glance
• South Broward High School, Hollywood, FL — Marine Magnet Program
• Taught AICE Marine Science II, Marine Science Honors, and Marine Science
• 96% AICE Cambridge exam pass rate — internationally benchmarked, university-level rigor
• Co-directed a selective Marine Magnet Program focused on hands-on science and career development
• Led field experiences including shark tagging, Florida Keys reef trips, and science museum visits
• Led community outreach: beach cleanups, tabling events, and program promotion
“One of Ms. Rivera’s most notable strengths is her innovative approach to instruction. She consistently sought out creative ways to connect marine and environmental science concepts to real-world applications, bringing energy and fresh thinking to her curriculum. “
-Principal of South Broward High School
What I Wanted Every Student to Leave With
Knowledge is one thing. Connection is another. I wanted my students to leave my classroom not just understanding marine ecosystems — I wanted them to feel something about them. To understand that the reef they read about in a textbook is the same reef that might not exist for their children if we don’t act now.
That urgency shaped how I taught. Every lesson was built around the question: why does this matter? And when students could answer that for themselves, that’s when I knew the teaching had worked.
I didn’t just teach marine science. I taught students how to think like scientists, advocate like conservationists, and move through the world with more awareness than they came in with. That’s the job I showed up for every day.
