Kim Etsitty, teacher at Navajo Pine High School, has been selected by Ocean Exploration Trust as a 2026 Lead Science Communication Fellow and will sail aboard the Exploration Vessel Nautilus this summer.
Etsitty, originally from Chinle, Arizona, is returning to the program that is a deep ocean exploration team bringing the excitement of exploration to learners in the Navajo Nation and worldwide.
Etsitty sailed originally as an SCF during the 2024 season on an expedition to explore the waters of Palau. She returns this year as a Lead Fellow, helping to mentor new fellows on board.
She was selected from a worldwide pool of applicants and will join a cohort of 14 Fellows from schools, science centers and nonprofit organizations across the Pacific and North America.
“Being part of this program feels like stepping into the kind of representation I wish I had when I was younger,” she said. “I want my community, and especially our teachers, to see that every student’s voice and way of thinking truly is unique. Real change starts with supporting educators, giving them the training and encouragement that help them reconnect with their gifts.”
They will join OET in June for 13 days at sea to map never before seen seafloor between Hawaiʻi and Guam.
“Not only will this expedition be the first for the new acoustic multibeam mapping system on E/V Nautilus, but it will also include open-ocean biodiversity and seabird surveys from the ship,” OET said in a news release.
While at sea, Etsitty will have the opportunity to connect live with learners across the Navajo Nation and worldwide. Everyone can engage with these educators via NautilusLive.org, a 24-hour livestreaming web portal that brings expeditions from the field to explorers on shore through telepresence technology and social media.
She will also participate in live broadcast dive commentary and question and answer sessions through the Nautilus Live website while aboard the ship.
Upon their return, she will also engage in events and activities. Schools and community groups can also schedule free, live one-on-one Q&A sessions with explorers on the ship beginning in June.
“The Science Communication Fellowship invests in great educators, providing them with real-world experiences in ocean technology and elevating them as role models for learners,” said Megan Cook, OET’s Director of Education and Outreach. “As Fellows are embedded at-sea alongside scientists and engineers, they convey the excitement of discovery and inspire students in their exploration of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and ocean fields.”
OET’s five 2026 expeditions will take the team to the Mariana Islands, near Wake Island, and the Hawaiian Islands.
The expeditions will build ocean knowledge supporting international scientific and U.S. governmental priorities, particularly understanding ocean changes, sharing that knowledge with others, and contributing new discoveries and data to inform future conservation and resource management decisions.
“Our educational system has to grow, not just for students but for teachers too. They deserve the chance to keep learning, to feel supported by policies that lift them up instead of holding them back,” Etsitty said. “Real education does not live in test scores. It lives in relationships, in shared experiences, and in the learning that unfolds far beyond classroom walls, shaped by the same curiosity and resilience we see in nature.”
Ocean Exploration Trust, a nonprofit founded by Robert Ballard, operates with a mission to explore the unknown parts of the ocean, seeking out multidisciplinary discoveries while pushing the boundaries of STEAM education and technological innovation.
“Every expedition we run adds to what the world knows about our ocean – but knowledge only matters if it reaches people,” said Allison Fundis, OET’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “Our Fellows are how that happens. They go where very few ever go, witness discoveries firsthand, and bring them back to the students and communities who will shape how we understand and steward the ocean for generations to come. That’s why we explore.”