Walking through the marine life filled halls of the Shedd Aquarium most people cannot tell animals apart within species. Although most can admire their beauty, few can notice the differences between them. This is a skill DGS senior and student athletic trainer, Andrew Urban, has developed over six years of volunteering at the Shedd Aquarium.

Urban began volunteering at the Shedd in 2013 after spending countless days there as a child. He was a frequent guest of the aquarium before volunteering,

 “I kind of grew up at the Shedd and I fell in love with it,” Urban said. His appreciation for marine life has only grown over his time there.

Having been at the aquarium so much, Urban has come to enjoy many aspects of it and loves every animal in the facility.  “I love the aquarium, I love the people at the aquarium, I love the animals,” Urban said. He enjoys interacting with the guests and workers to hear their stories and thoughts about the animals he knows so well.

“It’s a lot of fun. It’s a great atmosphere. Especially if you do special events. It’s just a lot of fun. You get to work with different people, guests and staff, different backgrounds, different stories,” Urban said.

At the Shedd, Urban has a variety of jobs, from hosting events for children during the holidays, to helping with Wednesday night ¨Jazzin’ with the Shedd¨ events, to interpretations where he teaches about specific exhibits. During the school year, he volunteers twice a month with a few expectations for when more events arise.

Working at the Shedd has made many impacts on Urban life and his future career.

“I plan to major in marine biology with a minor in physics,” Urban said. With a love for science and math and a passion for marine life, the career is Urban’s dream job. His top colleges include California State University Long Beach and the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

Although his plans involve moving away, Urban does not plan on leaving the Shedd anytime soon.

“I have this really big goal of being the longest active volunteer there … if I do it until I’m 50 I break the record,” Urban said. Achieving this will take many hours of dedication to the Shedd, but with plans of pursuing marine biology as a career, this will not propose an issue for Urban.

Besides volunteering, Urban does not plan as working as a trainer for the Shedd Aquarium. Instead, he is more interested in the research aspect. “[I like] the data and research and to understand how animals  can survive at different depths and pressure,” Urban said.

Although he would not be interested in working at the Shedd later in his life, Urban hopes to be closer to the ocean to observe marine life in their natural habitat.