Start Here. Stay Here. Go Anywhere: From An Undersea Pineapple to Galveston Bay
Alex Mapula ’26 is headed to Old Dominion University to continue discovering the secrets of the deep
Alex Mapula grew up in El Paso, TX, where he had limited opportunities to see the ocean. As Mapula prepares to graduate from Texas A&M University at Galveston with a degree in Marine Biology, one might wonder how someone raised in West Texas, far from the coast, ended up in a water-based field.
“I think a lot of people around my age, the first introduction to anything ocean-related was SpongeBob,” said Mapula. “I grew up watching SpongeBob and National Geographic documentaries. Once I found out about SeaWorld, I was hooked. I love Shamu and orcas and everything like that.”
While a cartoon about a pants wearing sponge living in a pineapple under sea and an orca named Shamu lit the fire for Mapula’s love of the ocean, the fire and passion grew once Mapula arrived at TAMUG. Mapula’s TAMUG journey began with marine biology before a pivot to chemical oceanography after one semester. Mapula finished the capstone a year early and completed some different research internships.
“Because of the opportunity I’ve gotten here, I’ve been able to do research up in Maine at different research institutes and I have presented at international conferences,” Mapula said.
In addition to engaging in various research projects, Mapula also soaked up the campus scene.
“Something about A&M that I love is the tradition,” Mapula said. “Some of the highlights that come to mind are just that college experience, Midnight Yells, and going to football games.”
After graduating, Mapula plans to work a summer job before beginning a PhD in oceanography this fall at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.
“I’ll be working with Dr. Matthew Schmidt. He’s a former College Station professor and I will be working in paleoceanography. So, that’s going to be a really fun experience getting to travel the country and start more research somewhere else. So, I’m excited for it,” Mapula said.
While looking ahead, Mapula took some time to look back and think about what he would tell students who are about to start a journey at Texas A&M University at Galveston.
“I think my biggest advice I can give to incoming students is to really lean into this campus, take everything that it can give you. There’s so much opportunity down here. A&M, there’s so much opportunity, but with this small campus and this creative community, there’s so much opportunity for students here. And I think the more that they pour into it, the more the campus gives them back. I’ve been able to do so much because of this campus really. And I think if I wasn’t involved in it as much as I was, I wouldn’t have gotten as much opportunity,” Mapula said.
A journey first inspired by a talking sponge and a starfish sidekick will evolve into an academic exploration of the past. This will involve examining how ocean systems once functioned in order to better understand their potential future trajectories.
