Meet Kimberly Correia | Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kimberly Correia and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kimberly, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind the success of the Plastic Free Mermaids is passion. Being a co-founder to this organization, I have always had a calling to protect nature and be a voice/platform to those that are unable to speak for themselves. Keyla, my sister and the other co-founder, and I grew up in South Florida, which is founded in eco-tourism. We continuously see the relationship between the ocean and its inhabitants providing for our needs/entertainments while humans, as a collective, are not nurturing the ocean back. Therefore, our desire to address plastic pollution and its consumption in the state of Florida is one of the ways Keyla and I are ensuring the environment is being taken care of. By collaborating with our public officials, educating our youth, creating interactive up-cycling art events, and working with our community continues to fulfill our desire to see the environment in its healthiest capacity. Passion is a factor that is so important in our journey because it has fed our emotional drive to continue it for seven years and counting. As the Earth is constantly evolving, so is our mission. Our passion has now led us into mentoring our youth to find and pursue their passion in conservation and has helped us create chapter of our organization in our alma mater high school. Overall, as highlighted, the passion of the Plastic Free Mermaids contributes to the success of our brand as-well-as building a collective within our communities toward the common goal of eliminating the consumption and distribution of plastic products.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Currently, I am a second-year undergraduate at the University of Florida. I am double majoring in Psychology and Communication Sciences and Disorders, with a minor in Disabilities in Society. My future career trajectory is to become a Clinical Pediatric Psychologist. I hope to aid those who are suffering from different mental disorders as well as promote/ enforce more accessibility for people with disabilities in our communities. Additionally, another path of my life that I am passionate about is ocean conservation, specifically within my organization, the Plastic Free Mermaids. Despite these two diverse career journeys, they are both founded in my ability to foster advocacy for the justice, equity, and protection for people with disabilities and our local environments. Starting at the age of 12, I have been admitted into marine magnet middle and high schools where I furthered my understanding of marine conservation as well-as began developing my advocacy skills. When being exposed to plastic pollution in school, out in the field, and in participating in environmental summits, my sister and I were inspired to create our organization, the Plastic Free Mermaids. Our mission is to spread awareness about plastic pollution through education, outreach, cleanups, and political and art advocacy. My proudest accomplishment within the Plastic Free Mermaids is when I collaborated with the Bahamas Plastic Movement to educate 100 Bahamian youth at their annual Plastic Camp, as well-as assisting them in Eleuthera’s plastic bag ban at the age of 16. During my experience interacting with the locals in Eleuthera, Bahamas, I came to realize that single-use plastic products in America is a luxury while in developing countries, it is a necessity. Therefore, an important lesson I learned was tailoring my educational presentations about plastic pollution to reflect the socio-economic status of the community and collaborate on plastic free solutions with its members directly.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My personality is very outgoing and when I am with friends and family, I prefer a “doing-oriented” type of day. Anything spontaneous and adrenaline seeking is what I enjoy most. Therefore, if my best friend was visiting South Florida for the day and I wanted to show them the best time ever, I would first prepare homemade vegetarian/vegan meals for the both of us, since I have been a vegetarian for over three years now, and her and I enjoy cooking. If we wanted to eat at a restaurant, I would take her to ocean-friendly restaurants on Hollywood’s Broadwalk, which I collaborated with the Surfrider Foundation to implement. Then, we would spend one day on the Atlantic Ocean and go scuba diving exploring John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park’s wrecks. Another day, we would head down to Miami and spend the day at the Frost Museum. For nightlife, we would explore local art at Wynwood. While in South Florida, we would explore the Everglades and bike ride in the trails. Since I attend the University of Florida, my second home is in Gainesville. Therefore, I would first take a stop at Busch Gardens to experience their roller coasters and spend the next couple days at Devil’s Den and Ichetucknee Springs.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The individual, and my other half, Keyla Correia deserves much recognition for the success of the Plastic Free Mermaids because she is the Co-Founder alongside myself.

Website: www.plasticfreemermaids.weebly.com
Instagram: @plasticfreemermaids
Facebook: @plasticfreemermaids
Youtube: Plastic Free Mermaids