Taylor Malewicki '11: Sharks for Research Program

Bishop Kenny teacher and alumna, Taylor Malewicki ’11, had a once in a lifetime experience tagging sharks with the University of Miami’s Shark Research Program.  Malewicki was invited to participate in the Sharks for Research Friends and Family Day in December.  The program is designed to catch, tag, and release the sharks allowing them to gather important research data on their feeding and migration patterns.  Malewicki shared, “It was beyond amazing to get this up close, hands-on experience working with sharks in Florida.  We really need to learn more about sharks and better understand their behaviors to save them from extinction.” and, “We were able to tag two Atlantic Sharp Nose, three Bull, and three Nurse sharks that day which was an incredible day.”

Malewicki has been teaching Marine Biology to sophomore and junior students since 2016. She is also a coach with the swim and dive team.  She began her own diving career at a young age and was a member of the 2008 Olympic diving team.  Malewicki, who attended Florida Gulf Coast University on a diving scholarship, enjoys teaching students the art of diving. The BK diving team practices at Terry Parker High School and Malewicki has developed a friendship with Coach Ray Mallari, who invited her to attend the shark tagging event knowing it was a lifelong goal for her.

Malewicki is a Marine Biologist at heart and spends an enormous amount of time focusing on her field of study when not teaching.  She volunteered with the Mayport Ocean Rescue over numerous summers and would like to continue with the shark tagging research project.  Malewicki enjoys sharing her gifts and passion with the local community.