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Jacqueline Sibila wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands this summer to swim with sharks.

Sibila ’27, an environmental studies and Spanish major, accomplished her goal on just the second day of a 12-day trip made possible after being awarded the Honors Program’s Timothy M. Smith Inspiration through Exploration grant.

Sibila chose to use the grant to travel to Ecuador for several reasons. Among them: Her research is measuring the swim speed velocity of sharks and creating a machine learning model to identify specific species.

“I wanted to visit the Galapagos to have the opportunity to swim with sharks and see them in their natural environment because oftentimes I'm looking at them through a computer screen, and I think sometimes it gets lost in translation, their importance. But when you can see them in their natural environment, it really brings a sense of understanding to why you’re doing what you’re doing,” she said.

On one day when she went diving in the Galapagos, she saw a school of about 15 to 20 hammerhead sharks.

Being so far underwater, surrounded by sharks while she was on a reef and the current was pushing her around, was “a humbling experience,” Sibila said. “It makes you realize how small you are,” she added.

She also wanted the opportunity to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos Conservancy to witness their drone-based tracking methods. She was able to see the work they do and how it can be applied to her own research and future career.

Another reason she wanted to visit Ecuador was to to practice her Spanish speaking skills.

Sibila said her dream career has always been to work for National Geographic. For a while, she stopped sharing this dream with people who asked, thinking it was too far of a reach. However, after the trip, she regained faith that it could be attainable. “It just re-solidified my want and dream to have a career working for National Geographic, where I can integrate both storytelling and learning with conservation outputs and initiatives,” she said.

To fulfill the requirements of the Timothy M. Smith grant, the Honors Program asks recipients to share pictures from their travels. Sibila is prepared to overdeliver, having purchased a new camera lens for her journey. In the fall, she will present about her trip at several research symposiums and Honors orientation events, she said.

“I really want people to be able to see what I saw and also view these animals through a lens of ‘these are very unique animals that should be preserved,’ and it's not just something that exists far away in a corner of our Earth that’s unattainable to get to,” Sibila said.

Before receiving the grant, she was not sure she would ever travel to the Galapagos. After, it solidified the decision that a career in conservation is something she wants to pursue.

In the future, Sibila said she would love to go on more dives, particularly in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or the Cook Islands.

Read what previous Timothy M. Smith Award winners have done here: 2024 and 2025.