Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?

I love the interdisciplinary aspect of the program. I can tell how much I have learned when reading journal and news articles, even though I’m only halfway through. We will be well-equipped for whatever career we choose to pursue.

Why did you decide to come to UW’s SMEA for graduate school?

Seattle is an awesome city, and UW has a stellar reputation. There are so many opportunities to take advantage of!

Are you doing a thesis or capstone project? If thesis, what are you writing your thesis about and why? If capstone, what is the project about? 

I’ve been looking forward to capstones since they first mentioned them on Prospective Student Weekend. Working with a client and collaborating on a problem in real-time offers a set of relevant skills useful for post-SMEA employment. We are working with NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center on the impacts of the harmful algal bloom that closed the Dungeness crab fishery.

What has been your favorite class at UW so far? Why?

Truly, they have all been great. But if I had to choose a favorite, I would say Fisheries Management last quarter. As a former fisheries observer, I enjoyed learning the components of the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Management Act and how policy affects interplay between fishermen and the environment. I’ve been working with the groundfish branch of the Sustainable Fisheries Division at NOAA as a student intern, and that knowledge has been immensely helpful.

What do you like most about SMEA?

The people! My classmates and the faculty have diverse backgrounds and interests; someone is always doing something I want to hear more about.

What’s it like to live in Seattle? What do you do in your spare time?

Seattle is an excellent place to live – I love taking my dog for walks at Discovery Park down the street and exploring all the delicious places to eat. My spouse and I enjoy the local pastime of beer brewing and always have something of our own on tap.

If you could design your ultimate job after graduating, what would it be and why?

I lean more towards the hard sciences, but our required classes give us a breadth of knowledge that makes us capable in many arenas. I’d love to work at a place that offered enough variety to use all of the skills we have acquired.

What is your favorite form of marine life, and why?

Sculpins! There’s so many here in Puget Sound- large cabezons to tiny grunt sculpins, all with unique characteristics.