Stephanie Rothe, merchant mariner

Meet Stephanie Rothe: Merchant Marine

It was a long journey from Schenectady, New York, where Stephanie was born, to her job as a merchant marine. Stephanie began her professional education at the Junior College of Albany where she obtained an associate's degree in fine arts. She then moved to Boston to attend the Museum School of Fine Arts and develop her skills in painting, sculpture, working with various media and photography.

After the first semester, though, she began a search which led her on an interesting journey to Central American and Belize, where she illustrated a book on snakes and reptiles; Guatemala, where she learned Spanish; and the Colombian Islands where she lived a very rustic life.

Stephanie returned to New York and stayed for three years, but her journey was not over. Soon, the Rocky Mountains were calling her and she headed west for a 5-month semester at Colorado Mountain College. While out west, she traveled the Southwest Wilderness and Hawaii. Then she read Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins and was drawn to the Pacific Northwest. Stephanie visited an aunt in Washington and decided to settle there for a while. While in Washington, Stephanie finished her degree in sculpture at Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Stephanie decided that she wanted to go to sea one day while reading a book called The Shipping News. She bought a little pendant of a anchor, which she still wears around her neck, and began to focus on making her dream a reality. Shortly thereafter, Stephanie got her merchant marine documents from the Coast Guard and found a job onboard the RV Thompson.

Stephanie has been an official crew member of the RV Thompson for nine days as of writing this. Her training ground is the ship and all the many functions that it requires her to perform, and she is learning new things each day. On any day she might hold the line as we try to put ROPOS into the water, or help to maneuver the skiff, or even swab the decks. She does whatever her duties require and whatever is necessary to keep the ship functioning. After she acquires about a year of sea time, Stephanie will test for her Able Bodied Seaman/Seawoman Ticket. Maybe one day she will be the captain of her own ship.

Stephanie loves her new job and says she works with the best crew. She loves going to sleep with the rocking of the ship.

Stephanie Rothe says: Have a plan, but always be open to opportunity. Don't close yourself off from anything. Time is now, seize it.

-- Omi Escayg