Kraetzer Sparked Passion by Studying Turtles During Spring Break

By: Dylan Pescatore and Kaneyl Carpenter, Cronkite Agency

Andrea Kraetzer is much more than just a soccer player for Arizona State.

During the University's spring break in March, Kraetzer had fun in her own way. Through a class she took as part of her biological sciences major, she had the opportunity to travel to La Paz, Mexico, on the Baja California Sur, to study different animals.

Kraetzer learned about the class from her classmates and enrolled. She took a chance on it and hasn't looked back.

"I signed up for a class last fall: FIS 494: Sea Turtles, Sharks, and Fisheries of Baja California," she said. "It's a class where you meet once a week for all of spring. During spring break, you go to La Paz and get to experience what you've been learning about."

On the trip, the group studied different animals, such as sea turtles, humpback whales, whale sharks, and more. They also shadowed professional researchers, picking their brains and seeing how they conducted their studies. After the week by the water, the class returned to Tempe and dissected everything they learned. 

"We caught some sea turtles when we were there, measured their carapace and took their weight. We watched some of the scientists take their blood and tag them, which was a super cool experience," she said. "It was something you wouldn't get in any other classes."

When asked what a trip like this did for the love of the field, Kraetzer couldn't speak higher on its impact.

"Being there and immersing myself in the aquaculture of Mexico was beautiful. I love working near the ocean and with animals in general," she said. 

Kraetzer references her professor, Jesse Senko, as someone she looks up to. Senko has research sites in North Carolina, Florida and La Paz. When he isn't teaching, he continues to research sea life in those places near the ocean.

Throughout the week in Mexico, Kraetzer studied her favorite turtle species: the hawksbill. She fell in love with one of the turtles, Suki, and even went to the lengths of getting a tattoo of her. 

Kraetzer tells the story of how she met her new friend.

"The first turtle we caught was a hawksbill. Her name was Suki, and I just fell in love. She was beautiful and that connection I had with that turtle solidified wanting to work with turtles," she said.

Kraetzer has always been interested in this field. Growing up in Vancouver, Canada, the local aquarium got her into working with animals.

"There's a marine mammal rescue program at the Vancouver aquarium. I went to volunteer for them when I was 14 or 15, and I fell in love with it immediately," she said. 

The location of Arizona State scared her, as Arizona is a landlocked state. She thought she couldn't continue studying marine conservation, but the biological sciences major and classes attached to it reeled her in.

"I grew up near Vancouver, near the ocean, which I've always loved. Moving to Arizona, I didn't think I'd get a lot of that, but I learned about the class through my classmates. It sounded like an awesome opportunity, and I jumped at it," she said.

The tradition and history of Arizona State's soccer program were important to Kraetzer in her recruiting process, and the School of Life Sciences was a bonus.

"I wanted to go into something that has something to do with the environment. With the conservation major, it allows me to work closer with animals and endangered species. That is really important to me and what I want to pursue," Kraetzer said.

In terms of the next steps, she hopes to become a field researcher after she graduates. 

Kraetzer is a sophomore coming off her second season with Sun Devil soccer. She speaks glowingly about her time with her teammates and how much she has learned through her time.

"The team culture is something I've never experienced; it's just amazing and what really drew me into ASU," she said.

As the Pac-12 Conference comes to an end, Arizona State will move to the Big 12 next year, and Kraetzer reflects on the change of opponents they will face.

"It's been amazing. Playing in the Pac-12 has been super cool, and competing with great programs. We have some newer challenges coming up in the Big 12," she said.

The defender has played 34 games the past two seasons, including starting all but one during her freshman year.