All I Want for Christmas is: Full Ownership of the Ocean

If you could ask Santa to give you something that money can’t buy, what would you choose? For Selena Salmeron, 17, the answer is simple.

“I want full ownership of the earth’s ocean,” Salmeron exclaimed with a grin. “The ocean is the most beautiful thing our earth has to offer.”

Salmeron’s love for the ocean started before she was even old enough to swim. Her family would take her to frequent weekend visits to the beach.

“I used to sit on the shoreline as a toddler and just let the ocean waves tip me over repeatedly,” she laughed.

In elementary school, the movie Finding Nemo sparked an interest in ocean life that inspired her to apply to New River Middle School, which boasts an exclusive marine biology magnet program. This is where she would decide to become a marine biologist.

“The ocean became such a bright and colorful home for so many organisms to me. The seemingly endless amount of life that we still haven’t explored to completion excites me,” she said.

Not only is she inspired to save it, she’s inspired to paint it, and has created 12 paintings of the beach so far.

“It’s just such a colorful world down there,” Salmeron said, referring to the ocean. “It also paints a beautiful image when you look off into the horizon from the shore.”

Salmeron would like full ownership of the ocean to simply keep it safe, and she would not share it with anyone that poses a threat to it, like litterers. She even has a plan to obtain rights to the entire ocean.

“I would meet with every leader from every country and ask them to declare me the owner of the oceans they border or have access to,” Salmeron explained. “I would like to enjoy this gift on December 24^th while my family celebrates Noche Buena. It would make me the happiest girl on earth.”