Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
I wanted to understand issues facing the marine environment from a perspective based on different disciplines while developing a career in marine policy.
Why did you decide to come to UW’s SMEA for graduate school?
There are a handful of reasons I decided to become a SMEA student. First, an interdisciplinary method aligns with how I think we should approach environmental issues both locally and globally. 

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? 

How did you decide to become a professor?
In my freshman year of college I was astonished to find out how little I knew about the world. For me college was this sudden and unanticipated exposure to an enormous stock of knowledge and perspectives that I didn’t know existed and I wanted to learn everything I could. I thought the best job in the world would be one where you were constantly learning, being challenged, and pushing knowledge forward. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
I came to SMEA with years of research in hard sciences, particularly in aquatic ecology, fisheries, and biological oceanography. Over the years, I realized that to truly understand the feasibility of scientific decisions, an understanding of how policy realm is structured is critical. As a student in SMEA, I hope to effectively merge my existing scientific knowledge & new understanding of policy process to make reasonable decisions (whether in policy or scientific realm) in future career opportunities. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
I am an active duty Coast Guard Officer. Each year, the Coast Guard sends several dozen people to postgrad programs across a wide range of degree programs. I was always interested in Public Administration, but when I discovered Marine Affairs, I found myself much more interested in applying many of the same skills learned in the Public Administration field, to the marine environment. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
All throughout high school and college I was very focused on the hard sciences. I majored in microbiology and for a while I wanted to become a professor and work in research. During an internship with Oregon Sea Grant, I had the chance to listen to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, the former director of NOAA, speak about her time in Washington D.C. 

How did you decide to become a professor?
Sometimes you have to take a leap to get what you really want. I was on a narrow path, teaching math in a two-year college while working on my Ph.D., when a terrific opportunity presented itself—a post-doctoral fellowship in marine policy at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Although I very much enjoyed the teaching I was doing, I came to realize that teaching alone was not enough, I also wanted to remain an active researcher. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
I studied Marine Affairs & Policy in Undergraduate at University of Miami. I had originally started out as a Marine Biology major, but after a couple years, I realized that what is done with scientific knowledge is just as important as the science itself. I saw this while studying abroad in the Galapagos, where I was exposed to the social, political, and economic issues surrounding the marine environment. 

Why did you decide to pursue a Master of Marine Affairs?
I studied physical sciences almost exclusively as an undergraduate, and I felt that I needed to build a knowledge base that included policy and law in order to be fully successful. I enjoy studying every aspect of the marine environment, not just biology or chemistry.
Why did you decide to come to UW’s SMEA for graduate school? 

Heather Brandon is a SMEA alum who earned her MMA in 2004. She currently works for the World Wildlife Fund, Arctic Field Program, Alaska, as a Senior Fisheries Officer.
Can you give us a brief description of what you do for the World Wildlife Fund?
I work on topics that involve fish or fishing, such as illegal fishing/poaching, bycatch, marine mammal interactions, ecosystem-based management, advocacy for conservation in management, marine protected areas, sustainable seafood certification, etc.