Article By: Johann Francis M Besoro, Zsarlette Alanne A Cabana 
Students interns, MAERS Center

Xavier University - McKeough Advancement for Environment, Resilience, and Sustainability Center (MAERS) hosted “Hearts of the Sea: Caring for our Ocean Guardians” on 11 February 2026, at the American Lecture Space, located on the 5th floor of the New XU Library. The event brought together students from both the BS Biology and Marine Biology programs to discuss the conservation and protection of our “ocean’s guardians,” namely turtles and sharks, which thrive along our coastal communities.

 
Ms Sue Ong during her talk

Ms Sue Ong, a megafauna conservationist and an alumna of Xavier University, has worked around the country, tirelessly reaching out to inform local communities about our ocean’s key guardians. Ms Ong’s talk emphasized how the diverse species of sharks and turtles are now threatened with extinction, with problems such as entanglement during fishing, and even being driven away from seagrass beds and similar mariculture zones. The perception of these graceful creatures as “pests” would only continue to decrease their populations worldwide, since a number of these species are migratory.

 
A participant posts their personal promise onto the custom coral reef outline

During her talk, she shared valuable insights on how data-driven research can be useful in crafting informed decisions, which a specific community can use towards the preservation of species. “You don’t need to save the whole ocean, just solve one meaningful problem,” said Ms Ong towards the end of her presentation. With that, the participating students wrote a personal promise to protect our marine wildlife, which was organized like a growing coral to signify that these oaths will be realized and grow beautifully through time.

Ms Sue Ong, together with the participants. Also present in the event was
Dr Astrid Sinco, director of MAERS Center.

“Hearts of the Sea: Caring for our Ocean’s Guardians” offered a thought-provoking conversation that inspired the protection and conservation of these vital marine creatures through meaningful research, one swim at a time.