Fellowships & Internships
November 6, 2025
Above left to right: Kristy Lapenta, Donya Mohamed, Joe Barnes, Natalie Klesch (Photo by Bayleigh Albert | Virginia Sea Grant).
2025 Commonwealth fellows Announced
Four Virginia students have been selected as fellows for the 2025 Commonwealth Coastal & Marine Policy Fellowship. This one-year program provides an educational and professional development opportunity for post-graduate students by pairing them with a state or local government host office mentor. At their host office, they will:
- Work on a project to improve the stewardship of the Commonwealth’s coastal and marine resources
- Learn about policy decisions that affect coastal and marine resources
- Receive on-the-job training
We look forward to seeing how these four Commonwealth Fellows will advance marine policy in coastal Virginia.
Kristy Lapenta graduated from Virginia Tech with a Master of Science in Fish and Wildlife Conservation, where she studied migratory shorebird foraging ecology on the Virginia Barrier Islands to help inform conservation decision-making and associated management practices. Lapenta will be working with her host office, the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission, on municipal dredging and coastal resilience.
Donya Mohamed graduated from Virginia Tech‘s Department of Entomology with a Master of Science in Life Sciences. She studied the effects of sodium chloride on mussel nutrient dynamics and energy storage, along with assessing best management practices for mussel conservation. Mohamed will be working on a wetlands restoration workforce project with her host office, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.Â
Joseph Barnes was previously the Marine Debris Project Coordinator at Old Dominion University, where he built a network of stakeholders and managed an online hub to help advance the goals of the Virginia Marine Reduction Plan. Barnes will continue working on this marine reduction plan during his time as a Commonwealth Fellow with his host office, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program.
Natalie Klesch graduated from William & Mary’s Batten School & Virginia Institute of Marine Science with a Master of Arts in Marine Science. She was a graduate assistant with the Center for Coastal Resource Management, where she provided training sessions to various stakeholder groups on how to apply shoreline management tools in their respective fields. Klesch will be working with her host office, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, on a wetlands restoration workforce project.
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