Saluting Graduates: First-Generation College Student Finds More Than ‘Nemo’ by Diving Near Sea Creatures, ‘The Scarier the Better’
Yamileth Perez ’26 aims to accomplish more at TAMUG after getting off to a head start on graduate studies this summer.
FROM LEFT: Brooke Varnum and Yamileth Perez dive in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Credit: Jeremy Crabtree
Dogs and cats weren’t scary enough for Yamileth Perez, whose childhood interest in veterinary medicine dissolved in the depths of an intense “Finding Nemo” sequence.
In the infamous Pixar movie scene, a hopeful light in pitch-black waters abruptly nears, revealing a nightmarishly toothy anglerfish, which startles audiences and chases heroes Marlin and Dory.
“It was that scary-looking fish that got me into marine biology,” said Perez, who as a teenager became instantly fascinated by the bioluminescent bulb dangling from a stalk protruding from the sea monster’s head. “I saw that and wanted to study abnormal marine life and deep-sea creatures. The scarier the better.”
Diving into that new interest brought the first-generation college student from Houston to Texas A&M University at Galveston for an academic journey characterized by starting early, building connections, and chasing, not just facing, fears and new experiences.
Another new experience arrives Aug. 7, when Perez will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in marine biology – a significant personal milestone, but not an end to the young scientist’s TAMUG studies.
While wrapping up an undergraduate degree this summer, Perez also began coursework on a Master of Maritime Business Administration and Logistics degree. These studies will continue this fall along with a job in Student Business Services. Earning a doctorate in marine biology is another goal: university to be determined later.
The Sea Aggie can see combining those fields at a maritime company or as an administrator in a research setting.
Excitement about the options outweighs any anxiousness over the uncertainty for the student leader, who has learned to manage such emotions since arriving at TAMUG in 2023.
Through a program at Cypress Creek High School, the industrious scholar had earned an Associate of Science degree from Lone Star College along with a high school diploma, but that’s far from the experience of living on a college campus.
“I was nervous, because I didn’t know anyone who had gone to college,” recalled Perez, who will soon be the family’s first college graduate. “My brother and I are the first college students. We set the example for our younger cousins, so we strive to be the best.”
About a fourth of undergraduates at TAMUG identify as first-generation students. The Academic Coaching Program within the Center for Academic Learning Support helps them navigate that transition by offering mentorship and programs aimed at building campus connections.
“The first-generation program gave me a lot of support,” Perez said. “It connected me with other students who thought like me, who shared similar experiences, understood the challenges of being first-generation, and reminded me that I wasn’t alone.”
Perez would advise all new students to join organizations, many of which offer scholarship opportunities, and embrace experiences like Howdy Week and Gig’em Week. “If you are lonely, go join a club, go join an organization, because they make you build friendships.”
Perez played with the TAMUG Women’s Soccer Club, serving most recently as its president.
The 12th Man Leadership Medal recipient also worked with the Sea Life Facility and interned with the Marine Invertebrate Lab, led by Dr. Anja Schulze, a marine biology professor and assistant department head in the College of Marine Sciences & Maritime Studies.
Perez also learned to scuba dive, getting her first seawater experiences in the waves near campus just off Shell Beach.
“The Galveston water is so dark,” Perez said. “It scared me so much. I felt like I was going to get eaten, but it helped me get prepared, and I was excited because that’s what I wanted.”
The payoff for that preparation came in the summer of 2025 with a diving trip that took students a hundred miles out into the Gulf to explore an oil rig and the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
“I’ve always wanted to see lionfish and fireworms in person, and I got to do that,” Perez said. “And there was bioluminescence in the water – little speckles of it. My classmates all know I’m a nerd for bioluminescence, so they kept pointing at it.”
At the oil rig, the divers saw a shark, eels, and barracudas – sights that both thrilled and frightened the self-described scaredy-cat.
“I’m afraid of barracudas, but I love seeing them,” Perez said, explaining how scuba training teaches divers how to stay calm, even when excited or scared.
“We get trained to take deep breaths, to think good thoughts, because once you get scared, your air goes faster and faster,” Perez said. “If your air goes faster, you have to go up sooner, and I don’t want to do that. You stay calm, because you have to keep a level head down there.”
Perez, a level-headed scholar who knows how to stay excited and calm, will continue to stand together with other Aggies as a force for good.
