New Opportunities: A Knauss fellow’s professional development experience

By VASG Knauss Fellow Gina Digiantonio 

Gina Digiantonio is a Virginia Sea Grant Knauss Fellow in the executive branch. She graduated from Drake University with a bachelor’s in biology in 2014, and recently graduated from the University of Virginia with a master’s in environmental sciences. Before embarking on her fellowship, Gina was excited to engage with opportunities to work on pressing coastal issues, hoping to draw connections between scientific research, marine policies, and end users. 

I received three key pieces of advice about the Knauss fellowship. First, keep an open mind, second don’t be afraid to try something new, and third; network, network, network.

Placement week provided a slew of information about the marine policy world, and from the host office presentations alone I was overwhelmed by the breadth of possibilities the fellowship offered. I reminded myself to try something new, and as a result quickly transitioned from being a seagrass biologist to an ocean policy and communications specialist at the Department of the Interior (DOI) Office of Policy Analysis.

Any identity crisis I may have had about this evolution was minimized by how intriguing the people and activities in my host office are. This placement allows me to see the diversity of ocean, Great Lakes, and coastal activities in the DOI’s bureaus—such as the National Park Service, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Office of Insular Affairs, and others. I am involved with the coordination and communication of these activities across bureaus and other agencies.

So far, I have attended National Ocean Policy meetings and ocean hearings on the Hill, participated in the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force working groups, and prepared social media posts. I’ve also written articles, and served as an editor for the Spring 2017 issue of NEWSWAVE, the DOI’s cross-bureau newsletter on ocean, Great Lakes, and coastal activities.