08/26/2026
Check out what CFHS alum Adam Harper is doing now!
Adam Harper's introduction to the ocean was a family fish market in the Sonoran Desert and a childhood spent watching nature documentaries. On August 17th, he boarded the E/V Nautilus in Guam as a Video Systems Engineering Intern with the Ocean Exploration Trust, headed for one of the most remote regions on Earth.
Adam is a 2020 graduate of Catalina Foothills High School, and a CFSD student from the start: Valley View Early Learning Center, Ventana Vista Elementary, Esperero Canyon Middle School, then CFHS. He took his first film courses here. He also marched in the CFHS band, served two years as Drum Major, performed in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and produced the band's 2019–2020 end-of-season video.
Shortly after Adam arrived at the University of Arizona, band director Renee Shane-Boyd connected him with a local internship at Ackerley Advertising, producing a holiday video showcase for the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. It was his first hands-on work in the field, and it came from a relationship built through high school band.
He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Film & Television Production from the University of Arizona in 2024, working along the way as Lead Student Ambassador for the School of Theatre, Film & Television and as Technical Director for U of A Hockey broadcasts.
Aboard the Nautilus, Adam will run livestream camera operations on two shifts a day, crossing four or five time zones and the International Date Line. He returns to Tucson in late September.
What is he looking forward to?
"I think I am most excited to be a member of this expedition into one of the most isolated regions of the world. It's one thing to be able to conduct deep sea surveys and see the rarest creatures and land features on Earth, but it's another level knowing that we're going somewhere so remote. I'm really just excited to explore the unknown."
In his own words, for CFSD students:
"Don't be afraid to try everything! Life is going to open and close doors on you, so why close doors yourself? Trying new things, even if you're unsure about it, is a great experience. Your opportunities from one thing may transfer to the next. Either way, you will grow and develop more of who you are as a person, and gain small but valuable skills along the way."
Adam has also asked us to pass along his thanks to his family, friends, teachers, and mentors. As he put it, quoting his mom: it takes a village.
To learn more about the Exploration of Wake Island's Deep Sea and Adam's journey to get there, visit: https://nautiluslive.org/cruise/na181
