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Alumni Spotlight
CSU Alum Volunteers at Georgia
Aquarium
 If
Clayton State graduate Elizabeth Mayo has her way, she will
be spend her spare time, swimming and diving with the whales
and sharks.
Twenty-nine year-old Mayo of Stockbridge volunteers her time
at the new Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta.
Graduating from Clayton State University with a bachelor’s
degree in healthcare management, Mayo currently works as a
manager at a dental office in Decatur, Ga.
An active scuba diver for the past eight years, she
eventually hopes to rise to the top of a list of 200+
volunteers who want to dive into the six million gallon tank
in the aquarium’s “Ocean Explorer” gallery. This coveted
position receives about 10 to 20 applications daily.
Residents of this tank include hammerhead and whale sharks,
along with more than 100,000 other ocean fish.
Currently in an interpreter position, Mayo answers visitors’
questions about any particular exhibit for about four hours
a day. The aquarium provides the necessary education and
training for the position.
Along with her busy academic schedule at Clayton State, Mayo
was a member of the first Clayton State basketball team to
play in a national tournament, during the 1994-95 season. A
four-year letterwinner, she held the school record for
three-pointers and played in 92 games overall for Clayton
State. She was also a four-year letterwinner in basketball
at Meadowcreek High School in Tucker, Ga.
Although some may question why a healthcare professional
would pursue a volunteer position at an aquarium, Mayo’s
favorite part of her assignment at the Georgia Aquarium is
helping people experience connections with the ocean’s
marine life. Once that connection is made, perhaps they can
then learn more about helping the environment that houses
that life, she says.
The Georgia Aquarium’s website, www.georgiaaquarium.org,
offers a variety of services including information about
programs and activities that are available to the public.
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