For Paige Finney ’17, a career among sharks

Paige Finney ’17 has never been afraid of sharks. In fact, she thinks they’re misunderstood.

“I was always one of the kids that watched ‘Shark Week’ growing up,” said Finney. “My brother and I would watch ‘Jaws’ and then run into the ocean. I’ve always been interested in sharks; they’re a very intriguing animal, but I never thought this is where my career would take me.”

Finney, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, is now a communications specialist at OCEARCH, a non-profit research organization dedicated to better understanding sharks and their role in balancing the ocean’s ecosystem. She handles social media, general marketing efforts, press opportunities and expedition logistics for the organization.

It’s not a typical desk job — Finney and her colleagues live among the sharks.

Expeditions are three-to-four weeks long on a 126-foot Alaskan crab boat, where a crew of 21 people ranging from scientists to fishermen to communications experts work and live.

“It’s interesting how we go from working remotely and seeing your coworkers on Zoom to then all of a sudden you’re living together,” said Finney.

Finney (second from left) creates social posts of OCEARCH’s work up of a white shark on the organization’s specialized lift off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada, in September of 2021. / Photo credit: OCEARCH, Chris Ross

Data collection and research for OCEARCH’s 25 ongoing science projects is the focal point of these expeditions. The organization tracks white sharks using its tagging and tracking system, and when one is successfully reeled in for research, a system Finney compares to a NASCAR-style pit crew is activated.

“Our researchers take a variety of samples — blood, bacteria, semen, muscle, and attach tags. It’s a NASCAR-style pit crew where all in all, the animal is out of the water for just 15 minutes,” she said.

Finney and her colleagues set sail on expeditions two-to-three times a year off the east coast of the United States and Canada. They partner with scientists from various universities, SeaWorld, Disney and numerous aquariums.

And while Finney certainly credits her classroom education to the writing and communication skills she now deploys, it’s the engaged learning experiences through The Furman Advantage, the university’s four-year educational framework, that she feels truly prepared her for her career today.

Finney (center) collects data while a team of scientists study a white shark off the coast of Georgia in December 2022. Photo credit: OCEARCH, Chris Ross

While studying away in Scotland, for instance, she not only attended classes but also was connected to an internship opportunity at an advertisement agency, which helped her determine her career path. Upon her return to Greenville, she landed another internship — this time over the summer at a local agency. If not for Furman’s dedicated summer intern housing, which offers students affordable lodging while earning industry experience, Finney wouldn’t have been able to afford staying on campus for the summer semester. That internship later evolved into her first full-time job.

“The out-of-classroom experiences are hard to beat,” she said.

Finney during an expedition off the coast of Massachusetts. / Photo credit: OCEARCH, Chris Ross

Finney also fondly remembers Furman’s Cultural Life Program, which encourages students to attend various cultural events and learn about people from different backgrounds. She also enjoyed the size of Furman, which allowed her to more closely connect with students in her major and her professors.

One professor in particular showed her what it means to be resilient. Professor Janet Kwami, who died on May 5, 2023 from cancer, was Finney’s first advisor in the communication studies department.

“She was very inspiring, very resilient; she really cared about her students,” said Finney. “She wouldn’t cancel class when she had chemo treatment, we just did the classes virtually.”

It was with that spirit that Finney decided to apply to OCEARCH.

“After the pandemic hit, I felt like I wanted to be doing more, do something more fulfilling,” she said. “I always had an interest in something different than a typical 9-to-5 job. I’d always wanted something more adventurous.”

Finney and her colleagues will set sail next on April 1 out of Jacksonville, Florida.