Though the 2020-2021 academic year was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, SMEA students were undeterred. This academic year, 26 students will have received their Master’s of Marine Affairs. The Class of 2021 was in a unique position to have experienced a portion of their graduate studies in-person, while turning to virtual learning in the Spring 2020 quarter.

Despite the distance imposed on SMEA students, this cohort was able to make significant contributions and maintain the academic rigor expected for the degree, all while getting creative in forging social connections. Graduates were part of four different Capstone teams, and completed 12 thesis projects. With thesis work spanning topics ranging from sea otters, to marine stewardship certifications, to environmental DNA, and to environmental justice students and their faculty advisors were challenged to adapt and, in some circumstances, overhaul their project due to pandemic complications. Capstone projects were similarly encumbered, but students were able to connect with clients virtually, and remained flexible in order to complete their final products. The McKernan Prize for Most Outstanding SMEA Thesis, named for influential scholar, faculty member, and SMEA’s first director Donald McKernan (1918-1979), was presented to three recipients for 2020-2021. “Marginal Benefit of Environmental DNA Information” written by Abigail Keller, Megan McKeown’s “Carbon Trading and Environmental Equity: Evidence from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative”, and “Ocean Ecology of a Eulachon: Developing a Model for Abundance” authored by Sarah Montgomery were judged across a matrix of six criteria, and were determined to each be deserving of this recognition.

This year the tremendous efforts of the student-led Diversity Forum have yielded an official SMEA Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (JEDI) Committee, where representation from students, faculty, and staff will help to broaden and strengthen the policies, processes, and curriculum to continue to prepare graduates to be leaders when it comes to environmental and social justice. The Diversity Forum went through hundreds of hours to research, meet, refine, and define the ways the JEDI Committee can have an impact within SMEA; the group spent the summer of 2020 examining committee structures in other graduate programs, nonprofits, and the business world, as well as consulting with seasoned DEI professionals to develop what will be SMEA’s approach. The student team of Bridget Harding, Sam Klein, and James Lee were recognized at the SMEA graduation ceremony with the inaugural SMEA JEDI and Community Service Award for their contributions to this work.

Likewise, the Student Environmental Affairs Society (SEAS) student organization made a pivot to foster connections among students in a digital format. The group held the event “Disorientation” to welcome the Class of 2022, even though many of the new students had never stepped a foot into the Marine Studies building. SEAS also continued the professional development and career connections series “Blue Drinks” hosting 3 each quarter during the academic year. Blue Drinks brings in alumni and other working professionals to share their experiences and advice for current SMEA students. The SEAS team also held biweekly meetings via Zoom, and pulled together opportunities for SMEA community members to participate in events like coffee breaks, trivia, and others.

Finally, the student team who power Currents were not slowed by the pandemic, with graduates helping to author 52 pieces for the student blog. The editorial board, led by James Lee made the decision to hone their focus for the academic year to amplify marginalized voices and identities in their content, a move that they hope will continue to impact the storytelling and Currents‘ features in the future.

During what will hopefully be the last of SMEA’s virtual graduation events, graduates, guests, faculty, and staff heard keynote remarks from Aurora Martin, Co-Executive Director for Community Capacity Building with Front and Centered, a Seattle-based non-profit aiming to realign the efforts to “transition to a healthy, resilient, and sustainable future” to center the voices, experiences, and needs of historically excluded communities. Their work centers people of color, lower income communities, and indigenous people. Ms. Martin shared her thoughts about “resilient hope”; despite hardships, obstacles, and setbacks, that there can and will be progress made by the efforts of those on the side of equity and justice.

A special congratulations to these SMEA students who have graduated in 2020-2021 and joined the ranks of our nearly 800 alumni worldwide:

• Amanda Arnold
• Katy Bland
• Katie Byrnes
• Patrick Dodd
• Alanna Greene
• Ryan Hanley
• Bridget Harding
• Logan Jarrell
• Stuart Jones
• Abigail Keller
• Corey King
• Samantha Klein
• James Lee
• Christina Madonia
• Lizzy Matteri
• Megan McKeown
• Marisa Nixon
• Corinne Noufi
• Amy Olsen
• Kalloway Page
• Marissa Paulling
• Lindsey Popken
• Daniel Roberts
• Alexander Rodzyanko
• Abigail Rogerson
• Katie Shelledy