Girl Up to Spectacular Sarasota

Girl Up ventured to Sarasota, Florida on Saturday, February 4 for their annual college visit. In the morning, the club toured the lovely campus of New College. The girls were most impressed with the view of Sarasota’s intercoastal waterway and the picturesque buildings of the Ringling estate. They dined in the university’s cafeteria and enjoyed their experience on a college campus.

In the afternoon, the club visited the Mote Marine Lab and Aquarium as this school year, the club has focused on the ecology and marine biology of Southwest Florida. The girls most enjoyed the touch tanks and were shocked by how slimy the sting rays felt! Other highlights included viewing sea turtles, manatees, all types of tropical fish, sea otters, and Molly the Mollusk (a 27-foot-long preserved giant squid). The girls discovered that Mote Marine was founded by a woman, Dr. Eugenie Clark, in 1955.  This informational and fun-filled field trip was packed with new experiences and was made possible by a generous donation from the Burfield Foundation and a grant from Mote Marine Lab.