Canadian cave diver inspires Calgary students to face fears, explore

Jill Heinerth has been exploring the deepest and darkest parts of the globe for 20 years and has dived deeper into caves than any woman in history.

She has recently released an autobiography and speaks to students across Canada, hoping to encourage them to face their fears and go outside their comfort zone.

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Heinerth says she is glad for the opportunity to motivate students to pursue their dreams, no matter how daunting.

“I kind of want to be the girl I wish I had met when I was 10 years old,” she says. “[Someone] that would inspire me to think big and to do things that haven’t been done before.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I kind of want to be the girl I wish I had met when I was 10 years old," she says. "[Someone] that would inspire me to think big and to do things that haven't been done before."

Heinerth visited St. Joseph School in Calgary on Thursday as a part of Mount Royal University’s contribution to Science Literacy Week, a week-long celebration of science and ocean research in Canada.

Her visit was funded by Mount Royal University’s PromoScience grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the goal of which is to promote a better understanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to young Canadians.