An Unconventional Journey Towards Academic Excellence

College of Coastal Georgia graduate Reid Kroken ‘25 represented the College as its 2025 honoree for Academic Recognition Day during the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents’ May meeting. Academic Recognition Day began over 34 years ago as a celebration of academic achievement among college students from the state of Georgia. Each USG institution selects an undergraduate honoree, chosen based on their outstanding scholastic achievement. Kroken described her academic journey as “unconventional,” but well worth it, making her selection a complete surprise to herself. She earned her bachelor’s in environmental science with a concentration in marine science this past May. Not only does she have a degree that she loves, but also the distinction of being considered one of the best students in Georgia.

Kroken grew up not too far away in Richmond Hill, Georgia. Her family then moved outside of Atlanta, and after high school, she attended Kennesaw State University. Kroken felt that the big college atmosphere wasn’t the right fit for her, and left after two years. She then studied welding at a trade school for a semester. Although she enjoyed welding, it didn’t appeal to her enough to continue studying. Kroken decided to take a break and work in retail until she figured out what she wanted.

“I was working retail and wanted to do something fun outside of work, so I actually started to volunteer at the Georgia Aquarium,” Kroken said. “I absolutely loved it. After a month or two of volunteering at the Aquarium, I was like, ‘I can do this as a job. This is so awesome!’ I love the ocean and always loved sharks. When I started looking for programs, I was looking for colleges in Georgia. I came across UGA (University of Georgia) and Kennesaw. Since I didn’t like the big college atmosphere, I decided to try a small college.”

Kroken was already familiar with the College of Coastal Georgia. During her senior year in high school, she visited the campus. When she learned that Coastal had an environmental science program and a marine science concentration, she said, “That’s the one!”

Kroken transferred to Coastal Georgia in Spring 2023, specifically seeking hands-on training. What she experienced far exceeded her expectations. She earned a 4.0 grade-point average, and consistently demonstrated initiative, academic excellence, and commitment to environmental research and service.

Learning Experiences

During her last semester at the College, Kroken worked on four research projects. For her Coastal Geomorphology course, she analyzed satellite imagery of the Little St. Simons coastline. The north end of the island is accreting (growing) due to the Altamaha River, while the south end is eroding. Kroken wanted to investigate if the accretion and erosion of the island are impacting how many sea turtles are nesting on the beaches. Instead of solely relying on Google satellite images, she independently arranged a visit to the island and met with the director, toured the island, and collected field data to enhance her satellite analysis.

“I got to go to the island this semester and work with them. That was fun because I’ve never been to Little St. Simons, and you have to get permission to go over there. It was a fun experience to see the island,” she said. “I looked at data from the past 15 years to see if the sea turtle nests were moving. I found out that even though the south end of the island is eroding, sea turtles are still nesting there.”

For her Oceanography course, her group project analyzed data collected by robotic floats in the Southern Ocean, located around Antarctica. Her group investigated whether temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen levels changed between locations and seasons in different areas of the Southern Ocean. Her third project involved water quality sampling off of St. Simons Island and the Altamaha River in Darien. Kroken’s group measured different water quality parameters such as salinity, turbidity, and chlorophyll A concentrations to determine if they could use those indicators to predict the presence of sharks in the area. Kroken’s fourth project explored how different socioeconomic classes are impacting the climate.

“Within the past year, a lot of people have been talking about celebrity private jet use. If you’re going to travel for an hour, just drive, because you’re emitting so much CO2 into the atmosphere,” Kroken said. “I did a project looking at how much CO2 emissions corporations release, versus the top one percent, versus the average person. I looked at how much CO2 is released through aviation. Corporations release a lot more CO2 than the average person that flies.”

Kroken presented her projects at the 2025 ENDEAVOR Conference. She’s also presented in the past at the College’s annual Coastal Science Symposium, the Georgia Water Resources Conference, and at the 2024 American Geophysical Union conference in Washington, D.C.—one of the most prestigious international scientific meetings.

During her time at Coastal, Kroken also stayed active on campus. She was a member of the Geology Club, regularly attended and helped with the Department of Natural Sciences’ weekly seminar series, and tutored fellow students as a supplemental instructor.

“I made the right decision coming here. I love the degree and I love the program. It’s going to help me do what I want to do. I’ve had amazing experiences here through the fieldwork, the research—everything,” she said.

Her favorite moments at the College all involved being outdoors, in the field. Her first introduction to the environmental science major was through a Maymester course where her class went camping all over Georgia, she said. They went to the Okefenokee Swamp, Cloudland Canyon State Park, went caving, and did white water rafting—all while learning about the hydrology of those places.

“That was probably the highlight of my time here,” Kroken said. “That was the introduction to the major, and that experience was amazing. People ask, ‘Should I do this major?’ and I’m like, ‘Yes!’”

Her advice to other students, especially those in her program, is to take advantage of the opportunities presented.

“Go on the Maymester trip or go on the fall caving trip. You learn so much in the field if that’s what you want your job to be. If you want to be a field technician, this is how you get that experience,” she said. “Also, it’s about teambuilding. As a major, we’re really good about everyone knowing each other. Take advantage of those opportunities and get to know everybody—academically and personally.”

Before coming to the College, Kroken had never taken a college-level science class. Entering college as a science major, while never taking a college science course, made her very nervous. She was also apprehensive about the higher-level math courses she was required to take for her major. She wondered if she would enjoy her major, or if it would change again.

“I learned to really love it, and, through the program, see how important environmental science truly is. I fell in love with it,” Kroken said.

Academic Recognition Day

When Kroken first learned that she was selected as the College’s Academic Recognition Day honoree, she was excited to be recognized. She got the phone call while attending a DNS seminar and had to step outside of the room.

“It was awesome to know that they saw the work I was putting in. I was honored that I was picked,” she said.

Academic Recognition Day is usually scheduled for earlier in the spring semester, but this year, it took place after commencement. After walking across the graduation stage on Jekyll Island and earning her degree, the following week, Kroken travelled to Atlanta for Academic Recognition Day at the Board of Regents. Reid was accompanied by her parents for the special event.

“I think being at the meeting really put into perspective how little of a chance I had of being there, and of everyone that could have gone to the meeting. I got chosen to be there,” she said. “It was kind of surreal. In that moment, I felt proud of what I had accomplished, and was proud to represent Coastal Georgia at the meeting.”

Reid also met some of the other honorees from other institutions across the state and exchanged contact information with them.

Academic Recognition Day honorees for 2025 with USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue.

Photo by Rob Felt of Georgia Tech

Kroken truly enjoyed her time at the College, and found ways to give back by mentoring new students and welcoming other transfer students, like herself. She not only gained hands-on skills, but also travelled and presented at various conferences, and found community. When asked what is the College’s best kept secret, Kroken said that part of it is the location.

“I love that it’s by the beach, it’s small, and has its own community. I love the community,” she said. “You know a lot of people, and you don’t get that at a larger university. I love that about here.”

Kroken now feels prepared for her future career working with marine life. She is currently interning at the Jacksonville Zoo, and is working with stingrays.

 “I’ll be helping with water quality for the tank, and tank maintenance. I’ll also learn how to feed them and take care of them. I would love to do that as my career,” she said.

Kroken is greatly looking forward to gaining new experience in that field. While she’s not working with marine life, you can find Kroken reading or watching movies.