MESM 2022
Bio
Larissa Neilson graduated with honors from California State University, Monterey Bay in 2019 with a B.S in Environmental Science. She is highly interested in making corporate practices more sustainable by using innovative solutions and influencing policy to mitigate climate change. As an undergraduate, she took on a retail clothing job to financially support her education. It was during her time there that she first handedly witnessed the extensive, single-use plastic consumption by retail corporations. This solidified her decision in becoming an environmental professional who will work to bring sustainable plastic-use solutions to the corporate world. She also interned at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in 2018 where she conducted an experiment in Jim Barry’s benthic sea lab, researching the effects of climate change on abalone. This research contributed to a growing pool of literature proving that climate change is detrimental to ocean life. These experiences have made her passionate about pursuing an environmental management career, and she will be specializing in Corporate Environmental Management and Economics, Politics, and the Environment. In the future, she aspires to combine the knowledge and technical skills gained at Bren to build new sustainable corporate practices and to influence environmental policy to mitigate the effects of climate change.