U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Stepping into my role as SEAS Alliance Coordinator and Navigating Home Coordinator, I was only just beginning to understand what a career in research could look like. I had recently graduated from the University of the Virgin Islands, and while I had some experience as a student researcher, my view of the broader scientific community was still limited. What drew me to this work was how closely it mirrored my own journey and the opportunity to help students navigate those same questions with more clarity and support than I had.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

For me, mentoring isn’t just a professional obligation — it’s something I care deeply about. As Chief of Fisheries for the US Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife, I see mentoring Navigating Home fellows as a chance to give Virgin Islands students a window into the real world of natural resource management, a side of the work that textbooks can’t capture. 

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

The Navigating Home Fellowship has really made a difference for both fellow Zoe Banfield and the VI Conservation Society. Our Eco-Schools USVI program is small, and funding is always a challenge, so having Zoe on board through this fellowship gave us the support we needed to keep growing.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

U.S. Virgin Islands National Park – St. Croix

For Kristen Ewen, a park biologist with the U. S. Virgin Islands National Park Service on St. Croix, mentoring Larissa Sweeney as a Navigating Home fellow in 2024 has been both rewarding and eye-opening.

U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS

Conservation Manager, Coral World Ocean and Reef Initiative

Hosting a Fellow didn’t just expand our capacity—it made me a better manager. It reminded me that mentorship is just as much about growth for the mentor as it is for the mentee.