UH Hilo senior Ashley Horvath featured in Chicago Tribune
The marine science major is studying marine mammals with a focus on conservation, rescue, and educating people on extinction.


The Chicago Tribune has published a story about Illinois resident Ashley Horvath, a marine science major at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, whose interest in marine mammals started at the early age of seven during a trip to Florida.
Now, at 21, Ashley has gone from Orland Park resident to senior at the University of Hawai‘i, Hilo, and lives on the big island of Hawaii. She is studying marine science, working more with the biology aspect of marine mammals.
“This semester, I was very lucky and worked with humpback whales that came from Alaska! Humpback whales are my favorite — they are so intriguing. We conducted research through photo ID and log databases and often tracked mother-calf pairs. Usually, humpbacks travel in pods as a mom, calf, and an escort. We studied mating behavior, and we even have some GoPro pics! The whales come right next to the boat — we have a special permit to get up close.”
So how did she get from Orland Park to Hawaii? The summer Shedd experience gave her an advantage. Classes taken at Moraine Valley Community College were a great way to get her general education courses fulfilled before heading off to pursue her passion. But Ashley said the key is to just follow your dreams. Everything is doable; you can make anything happen. Make your own dreams come true. She did her research on schools, and found a few, but most were as costly, if not more so than Hawaii, and they didn’t have the programs she was hoping to pursue.
Her concentration now is to work with marine mammals with a focus on conservation, rescue, and educating people on extinction — and getting the population numbers back up. She hopes to stay in Hawaii, and wants to get to work in the field after completing her degree. She would like to work on Maui at the Pacific Whale Foundation.
Reflecting on Hawaii, she said, “Everybody should visit Hawaii. It is different. The people are wonderful, very cultural, the language is beautiful. People are so inspiring. They conserve; there is no littering — no litter going into the ocean.