A TEEN’S TAKE: Dana Chen on marine life

“I think what other people should know about marine life along the Gulf coast is how big of an impact it is on coastal communities. And with that in mind, we should try to help preserve it, instead of destroying coral reefs, overfishing and letting Louisiana wetlands disappear more than a football field every 30 minutes.”

Age: 15

School: Baton Rouge Magnet High School, 10th-grader

Parents: Jim and Lily Chen

FAVORITES:

Book: The Harry Potter series and books by Dean Koontz.

TV show: “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Mentalist,” “Person of Interest,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Glee.”

Movie: The Harry Potter series

Music: Foster the People, Michael Bublé, Florence and The Machine, Pentatonix

Hangout: Movies with friends

Role model: “I don’t have one. I am inspired by so many individuals because of what they do, how they view the world, and/or all the hard work, dedication and struggles they’ve overcome to achieve their goals.”

Extra: Chen is a member of Mu Alpha Theta. She plays the piano, takes kung fu lessons and enjoys traveling. This summer she attended a month-long marine science course at Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Dauphin Island, Ala. “I learned about the different plants in the sand dunes, maritime forests, and marshlands, and also the vertebrates and invertebrates in the ocean. I also learned that estuaries are where salt and fresh water meet, and what longshore currents and littoral drift are. Everything I learned made me realize how much impact marine life is to us. We depend on it so much, without even realizing it. Barrier islands protect the mainland from erosion, all the plants on the sand dunes and marshlands also prevent erosion. Estuaries are where we get most of our seafood.”

William Taylor

Assistant People editor