Melanie Collins

Melanie joined the GMRI team in the Fall of 2024 as a LabVenture Educator. She earned her Bachelor's in Biology from the College of the Holy Cross in 2015, and in 2013, she studied Wildlife Management with the School for Field Studies in Kenya and Tanzania.

She discovered her passion for teaching in the north Georgia mountains, knee-deep in icy meltwater, introducing city kids to insect larvae. She’s loved every minute since, teaching in Environmental Education facilities all over the country. She did a stint on Catalina Island as a Marine Science Instructor and Head aquarist at Catalina Island Marine Institute, she worked as a Co-Director of the Regional Museums in Harriman State Park, New York, and also as a Sea Kayak Guide and Wilderness Education Guide with Portland Paddle and Rippleffect right here in Casco Bay.

She is stoked to continue sharing her love for the ocean with the students who come through the Cohen Center daily. She is grateful to be part of a long-standing program that has reached so many students over the years and hopes to contribute to that legacy in any way she can.

As for free time, she’s decided that a dance class a day keeps the doctor away, but she can also be found standing on her hands with the circus folk of Portland, swimming in the icy surf of Casco Bay, or drinking tea with friends.