MESM 2026
Pronouns: she/they
Bio
Lauren is from Tempe, Arizona, a four-hour drive from the Sea of Cortez. It was there in the tidepools that she became enamored with the ocean. Lauren followed her curiosity and graduated with honors from UC Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Marine Biology. While at UCSC, Lauren had the unique opportunity of becoming a certified AAUS Scientific Diver and conducting research in the kelp forests of Monterey Bay. After discovering a love for fieldwork, she became an ecological research intern with NOAA monitoring threatened populations of Steelhead trout and Coho salmon. From the moment Lauren wrangled her first trout out of the weir, she intended to make fish a part of her career. Since graduating in 2022, Lauren has had the privilege of teaching grade school students as an outdoor educator, working as a fisheries technician in Kodiak, Alaska, and serving a term with the Watershed Stewards Program at the Lodi U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lauren is interested in holistic approaches to fisheries management that account for the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of a changing market. While at Bren, Lauren intends to specialize in Coastal Resources Management and Environmental Policy.