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Rebecca Twohey (MAS)
Recent Graduate Becky Twohey Joins
San Diego Coastkeeper
Becky recently began working with San Diego Coastkeeper, a non-profit dedicated to protecting San Diego's bays, beaches, watersheds and ocean for the people and wildlife that depend on them by balancing community outreach, education, and advocacy to promote the stewardship of clean water and a healthy coastal ecosystem. Becky graduated from the Master's program in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography this June and began her new job a week later. While a graduate student, Becky's Capstone analyzed Marine Protected Area(MPA) Evaluation for the World Wildlife Fund.
Q: How did you get involved with San Diego Coastkeeper?
During the master's program, I began volunteering because I wanted to get involved with local issues.
Q: So your volunteering with SD Coastkeeper led to a permanent job? Yes, I feel really lucky.
Q: What are your new job responsibilites?
I do a lot of volunteer outreach and coordination for all the different campaigns.
Q: How did the MAS MBC program help you to prepare to work with an organization such as SD Coastkeeper?
I feel like I can talk knowledgably about a lot of different issues to a variety of people.
Q: Was there any particular class or experience during your MAS MBC studies that best prepared you for the real world?
I am really glad I took Management of Nonprofits because so much conservation work is through nonprofits. Anytime a speaker or professor talked about a book that impacted them, I would read it. I think I learned a lot through those readings and talking to the professors.
Q: It is impressive to find a job so quickly in this tight economy. Do you have any words of advice to others that are interested in marine conservation looking for a job?
Get involved with whatever you are interested in: volunteer, events, speakers, whatever. I would also talk to as many people as you can about what their interests are and what they are doing.
Biography Prior to Starting Program:
My love for the outdoors and the marine environment has always lead my life. I grew up in the Bay Area with summers spent backpacking in the Sierras, traveling, at the beach and playing volleyball.
I played volleyball for UCSB and received my BS in Marine Biology. At UCSB I was a research diver and primarily worked with the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) lab for three years. I also enjoyed coaching middle school volleyball and teaching after school classes. I was very fortunate to study abroad in Belize and conduct research on the diversity of coral species inhabiting different zones of the reef, as well as study conservation approaches.
After graduation I interned at the Reef Head Quarter Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, where I examined the effects of different variants on coral bleaching and was involved in public outreach. After several years dedicated to Marine research, I figured out that I am more passionate about impacting the way our world uses its resources.
Before starting the MAS-MBC I traveled through Central America observing the local effects of government policy. As I learn more about the challenges involved and the need to find a balance, I truly believe I will find ways that let people live happily and sustainability, and preserve our environment.
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