Most Hollywood heroes wear capes and use supernatural powers to save the day. However, Donna Shaver, a Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) alumna, doesn’t use a flashy cape or super powers to do her job. Dubbed as a “hero of sea turtles,” Shaver has worked for more than 30 years to conserve the sea turtles of South Padre Island.
Shaver’s story began when she was a student studying wildlife biology at Cornell. One day, a paper brochure on campus caught her attention. Shaver always knew she wanted to work with endangered species, but she didn’t know what animal she would end up working with. As Shaver skimmed the brochure, she saw a lot of wildlife conservation projects, but she decided the sea turtle conservation project in South Padre Island was her calling.
Shaver is the current Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore. On Oct. 4, TAMUK invited her to present at the first Biological Sciences Academic Excellence Awards and Distinguished Lectureships. The event recognized 14 of the 30 TAMUK biology scholarship winners.
Enrique Massa, associate professor and chair of Biological and Health Sciences, explains that the event is a good way to get students to learn about opportunities for future careers and to recognize students and alumni. Massa also stated that if the event grows, they could use it as a way to get donations from alumni.
“We wanted to do this in a public form where we could take the opportunity to bring in alumni to give a talk. That’s why we invited Dr. Shaver to come in as an alumnus for our department. Also, to give students and idea of what they can do with their degree from here,” Massa said.
Trisha Garcia, a biomedical science pre-med major, was one of the scholarship winners honored at the event. Garcia is very grateful for winning the scholarship, explaining that it will be very useful in financing her education since she is from a disadvantaged background. She is glad the department decided to host an event for the scholarship winners and brought in a presenter.
“She was great…she obviously spent her whole life working towards her goal, and that’s something so inspiring,” Garcia said.
During the event, Shaver presented the work she has done to preserve the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle. The species has been registered as endangered for years, reaching a drastic low point in 1985. However, through Shaver’s work, the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle numbers and hatchling success rate has increased. Shaver hopes her work serves as an inspiration to TAMUK students.
“I hope that it will show them that there are opportunities out there after graduation and then also inspire them to know, ‘hey, keep going.’ It’s a process, you will get through your studies, you’ll get your degree. You just got to keep going,” Shaver said. “Sometimes in can be discouraging when you’re a student. You get another test, another paper…keep going through the process, work hard, and you’ll get that degree and it’s important for your future.”
As Shaver looks around TAMUK, she explains that the campus looks a lot different than when she was a student completing her master’s degree in the 1980s, but in a good way. She believes there are world-renowned projects being done by the TAMUK Biology department and the Citrus Center. She commends TAMUK for being big on research, but small enough for students to get to know their professors and feel like they are in a close community.
