My name is Kirstin Abril Trevino, better known as Kat to most. I am three days into my three-week internship with Jamie Ortiz at San Diego Coastkeeper. I entered this organization with little knowledge about how serious San Diego’s water pollution problem is, even though I have lived in this beautiful city for the past 15 years.

Like most in this city, I frequently visit the beach. At the beach, I kick back, listen to Pearl Jam, and watch the surfers ride by in the pristine waters of La Jolla. Now that I have learned about the pollution problem, I find that our ineffective stormwater system rather frightening and disappointing.

Pollution affects not just the shops on the waterfront but everyone living in San Diego. I know a large part of San Diego’s economy is based on tourism. There are pretty much two things that bring tourists: Comic-con and our beaches. Trust me, I know how crowded San Diego can be during the summer.  Millions of people flock to our city for these two attractions, and I would think keeping our waters clean would be a top priority for our city.

I’ve been assigned the task of creating videos to show that it isn’t just surfers or beachgoers who are knit-picky about seeing a plastic bag in the water.  Pollution of our waters can cause illness and can financially hurt San Diegans.  Many people aren’t willing to give teenagers such an important task, and I am grateful for this opportunity. I will prove to my mentor and school what I am capable of accomplishing, while bringing awareness to San Diegans about the importance of keeping our waters clean.