Myles Saunders has barely begun life as an N.C. A&T alumnus — he graduated just a few months ago, with a B.S. in animal sciences. But he’s already creating a wide wake as he builds a career in the field of marine science and conservation.
In the process, he's helping to make marine sciences popular with HBCU students and graduates.
“It kind of gets overwhelming at times, because I’m still trying to figure it out myself and I’ve got like 50 people asking me, ‘How do you get here?’ ” Saunders said.
The Portsmouth, Virginia, native grew up going crabbing with his father and spending time on the beach. “I’ve always loved the ocean, but growing up, I never really knew that spark was something I could actually make a career out of,” Saunders said.
It was his love of music that drew him to the university. “I was at a high school that was big on band culture,” Saunders said. “I saw the Blue and Gold Marching Machine and what they did, and that sparked my interest. I feel like it was just meant for me to go to A&T.”
The clarinetist earned a spot in the band and became a section leader, but he was still at a loss for what his career might be until the band traveled to Walt Disney World to perform. As part of the visit, corporate leaders met with the group to discuss opportunities at the park.
“I knew I loved animals and had a passion for conservation," he said. "I stood up and told them that I was an animal science student at North Carolina A&T and explained that I wanted to work with animals.”
That led to an internship at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park the next summer, an experience that was rewarding — but revealing.
“I realized that even though I loved working with animals, my heart had always been with the ocean. So, I started searching for ways to get involved with marine life,” he said.
He began scuba lessons at Inland Divers of High Point. “More often than not, I was the only African American in the room, and that isolation made the journey feel lonely at times,” Saunders said. “But I refused to let that stop me. I pushed through and earned my Open Water Diver certification.”
His instructor, Ronnie Brewer, saw Saunders' passion and mentored him. Saunders interned with Brewer for the next two years, teaching students at High Point University.
“Again, I was the only African American. But that gave me even more confidence, because instead of just being in the room, I had to teach. I had to stand up and demonstrate. There was a lot of self-reflection in that.”
Saunders participated in the GVI Marine Conservation and Coral Reef Restoration Program in Fiji and traveled to St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, through the nonprofit Black in Marine Science (BIMS), where he earned his Advanced Open Water Diver and Digital Underwater Photography Certifications.
“That gave me a new way to tell stories about ocean conservation through photography and enjoy being in the room with my people,” he said.
Dr. Andrea Gentry-Apple, the university’s coordinator of veterinary education and a clinical associate veterinarian, said Saunders was great student to have in class. “He is a personality,” Gentry-Apple said. “He is full of potential.”
Saunders keeps in touch with A&T alumna D’Karia Bascom '25, a marine science researcher who also graduated from the animal science program. Both say that students reach out to them with questions about how they got into the field.
“I don’t know,” he said, chuckling. “It’s still hard. But everybody’s path in life is different.”
Saunders said he is considering going to Florida A&M University next fall to continue his studies. But he’s also considering studying to become a commercial diver and pursuing his coral reef conservation passion on the side.
“I hope my journey shows other students that you don’t have to have your whole life figured out when you get to college,” Saunders said. “Sometimes all it takes is saying ‘yes’ to new opportunities, putting yourself out there and trusting where the journey takes you.”
