VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — From the volunteers to their chief executive team members, the Virginia Aquarium is powered by women! The majority of their staff members and volunteers are ladies.
News 3 anchor Pari Cruz went to the aquarium to find out more about the benefits of working in a female-dominated environment.
“I've been in the field for over 35 years,” said Michele Sousa. "And it wasn't always that case."
Sousa is the Senior Curator of Animal Ambassadors and Mammals at the Virginia Aquarium.
“What I love about most is that my day is never the same day twice,” she told me.
From helping the veterinarians with animal procedures to managerial work, she said she loves the environment at the aquarium and being surrounded by so many inspiring women.
“We try really hard to make sure we are transparent in all of our communications with everyone,” Sousa said.
Currently, the Virginia Aquarium’s city and contracted staff are represented by 57 men and 148 women, which means nearly 3/4 of their staff is female.
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And it's not just the workers: the C-suite is also female-dominated.
“A lot of times, there were a lot of females in the lower-end jobs, but not a lot of females in the upper-end jobs,” said Sousa. “And what I love about the Virginia Aquarium is that all of our leadership pretty much is females in the upper positions. And it's nice to see that kind of a shift.”
As they say, it starts at the top; but at the Aquarium, it trickles all the way down.
Even the aquarium's volunteers are predominantly women: 68% of them to be exact.
“I don't think I've ever seen a drawback of having a lot of women working together,” said Sousa. “If anything, it makes for a more cohesive place to work.”
“I think we have a lot of camaraderie... and we like to share things,” said volunteer Cynthia Royes. “If someone's been here longer than I have, we're willingly and openly ready to share. So, to me, it's great.”
Royes tells me she's loved working with so many incredible ladies for the past four years.
“We are smart,” she said. “So, we're showing that we can hold our own.”
The ladies of the aquarium show how important it is for women to know they can get jobs in science and technology, a field historically represented mostly by men.
Watch related story: Virginia Aquarium South Building reopens with new touch pools, more animals
The CEO, Cynthia Whitbred-Spanoulis, shared this statement with News 3 signaling the aquarium’s alignment with seeing more women in these roles:
“Traditionally at the Virginia Aquarium, roles like animal care and education within the Aquarium have often seen a higher representation of women. This trend aligns with data showing that a significant majority of college majors in fields such as biology, education, and zoology are pursued by women.”
“I got in this field because I was at a marine park where I saw this woman working with a ginormous killer whale," Sousa said. "And I looked at that, and I felt, 'Hey, if she could do that, I can do that.'”
Sousa told me it’s important for her to mentor her staff and kids who visit from different schools. She hopes they can see a future version of themselves through her example, and maybe even consider pursuing a career in STEM, or animal care and education.
“What I hope to do is empower young minds to know you can work with these animals, you can be in a job where you are the boss," said Sousa. "You're not relegated to the lower jobs. You can be anything you want.”
