MESM 2027
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Josie Shostak is an aspiring environmental photojournalist and researcher. She earned her Bachelor's degrees in both Marine Biology and Environmental Studies & Sustainability, and minored in studio art at the College of Charleston.
Throughout all four years as an undergraduate, she worked as a freshwater sponge researcher. This gave her the opportunity to travel to conferences to present her findings and engage with locals who had been fishing at the same dock their entire lives. Josie spoke to these communities about sponges, which had lived unnoticed beneath the waterline for decades. During the latter half of her undergraduate career, she conducted behavioral and population surveys on harbor porpoises in Homer, Alaska. She also used her wildlife photography skills to create the first photo-identification catalog for that species in the state.
After graduating, she worked for an environmental nonprofit, Wetlands Watch, as an Assistant Outreach Coordinator for a sea level rise community science program called “Catch the King” in Norfolk, Virginia. Josie created a visual and literary arts contest for high school and college students called “Waves of Tomorrow”. It encouraged students to express and discuss climate action from a more artistic and empathetic perspective.
At Bren, Josie aims to expand her work into terrestrial communities by specializing in conservation planning, and to strengthen her writing with a focus in communication. Her career goal as an environmental photojournalist and researcher is to use photography and writing to bridge gaps caused by a lack of accessibility and education between people and the environment.