Celebrating the Graduating Class of 2025: Gunner Kolon

The University of San Diego would like to congratulate all of our wonderful students who are graduating this year. We will be spotlighting students from across campus, sharing their educational journeys leading up to commencement.

Gunner Kolon is graduating with a degree in Marine Ecology from the University of San Diego.

Kolon grew up in a landlocked community of Texas but quickly found a passion for scuba diving -- following in his parent's footsteps. This love for scuba diving led to a love for the ocean and a decision to pursue marine ecology as a career.

At USD, he got involved in a lab on campus that allowed for him to use booms in the ocean that have been able to collect microplastics, invasive species and heavy metals like copper, zinc and arsenic at high levels in areas like Mission Bay and the San Diego Bay. This allowed him to get hands-on experience with remediation efforts at ports and marinas.

Next up, he's looking to get his master's degree and continue this research at USD, with hopes of one day being a professor.