In early October 2019, Jasmine Prat, a WSU Vancouver student who is currently pursuing an environmental science master’s degree, will arrive in Washington D.C. for a week-long introduction to her host agency within the executive branch of the U.S. government. This allows her to prepare for a year-long fellowship with a federal agency.
Prat is one of 69 finalists of the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program — presented by the Washington Sea Grant. The fellowship will place Prat and her other fellowship nominees in either the executive or legislative branches of the U.S. government.
According to Prat, who will be working on the executive side, she will focus on implementing marine life management and conservation laws. With many different agencies as possible hosts, Prat says she is examining which agency will be her best fit.
“Now I’m kind of in the process of going through with a fine-picked comb looking back at the old hosts from the executive side and getting an idea of what I’m interested in,” Prat said.
According to the Washington Sea Grant website, Knauss fellows selected to work within the executive branch will be assigned to federal agencies: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation, State Department, Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Energy, etc.
As Prat’s placement approaches, she said she is not trying to consider her options too much until she can meet with the agencies personally.
“I’m really trying not to have a preference, I’m really trying to go into it with an open mind,” Prat said. “Ultimately I’m doing this specifically to get a new experience, so I want to go into it with an open mind.”
Prat said although she has always been interested in marine biology, she just kind of stumbled into these opportunities. “I just got an opportunity to move to Seattle and where I had more hands-on interaction with it rather than it being just some abstract interest of mine,” she said.
While working under the science and communication fellowship, Prat was able to use her skills as a science communicator; sharing marine biology information to the public.
“I learned about it by learning about how to tell other people about it,” Prat said. According to the Washington Sea Grant website, fellows are given the opportunity to develop their portfolios as writers and communicators, building bridges between scientific information and public understanding.
Prat said because Washington Sea Grant is located on the University of Washington’s campus, it gives UW students an advantage because they have more access to the offices.
“My circumstance is kind of unique because I work in Puyallup, I’m registered through WSU Vancouver and I live in Seattle,” Prat said. She explained that because of this, she could do the fellowship and it’s how she created a relationship with the Washington Sea Grant and learned about their program.
According to the Washington Sea Grant Management and Fellowship Program Specialist Deborah Purce, Prat is one of few WSU students nominated for this program.
Pratt said she is excited for the opportunity of being uncomfortable in a new situation. “I think it’s really important to get outside of your comfort zone and move around and just work with different kinds of people,” Prat said. “I’m in D.C., I want to experience what the city is like. I just want to jump into this new experience.”
Brody Voge is a junior at WSU Vancouver studying strategic communications.