MESM 2024
Pronouns: she/her
Bio
Merina Addonigio graduated magna cum laude from Soka University of America in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and concentrations in both Environmental Studies and Spanish. A California native, Merina has always been intrigued by water and drought. During her undergraduate education, she traveled to Brazil and studied the underlying socioeconomic factors contributing to drought and water rights in Ceará and São Paulo. She spoke with professors, government secretaries, students, and rural farmers to gain an empirical understanding of both past and present challenges surrounding urban and rural water provision. Merina then pursued an internship at Moulton Niguel Water District where she used strategic communication to educate customers about the importance of water conservation. At the district, she also worked to communicate the value of Moulton Niguel’s accomplishments in energy savings through smart water meter technology and investments in critical water infrastructure engineering. As a master’s student at the Bren School, Merina is specializing in Corporate Environmental Management and hopes to work at the intersection of water and sustainable investment to leverage positive impact on water resources and clean energy.