Meet Education Exhibit Guide Susan Wesslen

Retired educator Susan Wesslen adds a special touch to the experiences guests have at Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center. Susan has given more than 200 hours of service as an Education Exhibit Guide in the last three and a half years.

“I first helped with the seagrass matting that’s used to restore habitats in the Indian River Lagoon,” says Susan. “At an orientation session I heard about other volunteer opportunities and chose the Exhibit Guide role since there seemed to be many similarities to teaching. Sharing knowledge makes the world a better place!”

For more than 26 years Susan taught mathematics to middle and high school students in cities including Wantagh, New York, Houston, Texas and Bloomfield Hills/Birmingham, Michigan. Her husband Johan’s work for a German steel company took the family to many parts of the U.S.

“We’ve met fantastic people in every part of the country and enjoyed learning about what each state has to offer, especially their coastlines,” says Susan. “Because I wanted my two sons to enjoy the out of doors, I spent many, many hours volunteering with the Boy Scouts.”

On a Thanksgiving trip to Hutchinson Island in 1993, Susan and Johan fell in love with the area. After spending the next 11 Thanksgivings here, they decided to make it their home. They retired full-time in 2015, and like to visit Michigan for a few months every summer.

In retirement, Susan has traded in skiing and sailing for golf and stand-up paddle boarding. During the pandemic, she tutored via Zoom, and also organized virtual book club discussions.

“I love reading historic novels,” says Susan. “My favorite author is Michael Tourgais, who spoke at the Martin County Library a few years ago. I learned how to manage Zoom during COVID to keep our book club going – it brought so many people together!”

Susan Wesslen Snapshot

Born in: Brooklyn, New York

Alma mater: B.S., State University College at Cortland (NY), M.A. Hofstra University

Good eats: Fresh Catch

Taste in tunes: Beach Boys, Jimmy Buffett

Favorite read: Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan