The Knauss Fellowship: It Is What You Make of It
If you ask any previous Knauss Fellow what their time in the fellowship was like, they’ll most likely use a number of words to describe it: intense, fast-paced, energetic, extraordinary, profound. And how can it be anything else? The fellowship takes some of the most ambitious and driven minds from their graduate programs and drops them into the heart of federal service.
Entering the Knauss Fellowship in January 2025, I anticipated all these things — the intensity, the workload, the learning curve, and the inevitable adjustment period. I knew it would be difficult, but I was ready for this exciting next chapter of my life to begin. I believed I had the mental and emotional resilience to handle not only the monumental move from Orono to Washington, DC, but also a career pivot as I transitioned from a career in aquaculture to a placement in NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program.
What has actually unfolded in the last nine months of my fellowship, however, completely upended my expectations in every imaginable way. Within the first two months, I found myself juggling multiple transitions at once: settling into a new city, trying to build community, grappling with the complex new world of federal policy and management — and on top of that, adjusting to an unpredictable “new normal” that seemed to change daily.
I happened to enter during a transition year, when the federal government recalibrates to adjust to new administration priorities, policy shifts, and personnel changes that keep federal agencies on their toes. However, it is easy to say that this transition year has been completely unlike any of its predecessors due to the rapidly shifting political environment. Personally, this made it very difficult to get my bearings and find a rhythm in the fellowship. I felt some intense emotions to put it lightly, as this was not at all what I had expected or prepared for this year to be. Ultimately, it came down to a shift in mindset: I could either let this chaos define my experience, or I could define it myself. While so much was out of my control, I still possessed the agency to shape my own fellowship year into something I found meaningful and fulfilling, despite the circumstances.
With this in mind, I sought to create a year that included as many joyful moments as stressful ones. I joined several Knauss Committees, including the Social Committee, Outreach Committee, and Prom Committee (yes, we have a Knauss Prom). I signed up to be a NOAA Ambassador, mentoring youth through community outreach in marine science. Although hybrid work is an option, I have made it a point to go into the office four days a week to cultivate a more personal connection with my mentors and colleagues. I have gotten to engage in incredible conferences and workshops, like Capitol Hill Ocean Week and the Science Diplomacy Summit, and canon events like the infamous NOAA Fish Fry. With respect to professional development, I have been able to maintain my connection with my aquaculture roots and have networked with some incredible people across NOAA’s Office of Aquaculture and beyond. In fact, I have just returned from a trip to Panama with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Working Group on Open Ocean Aquaculture to attend some site visits and discuss the future of open ocean aquaculture. And most of all, I have met some of the most incredible, driven, resourceful, and supportive friends of my life through this fellowship.
In sum, this year has been everything I could have expected and nothing I could’ve anticipated all at once. I have become more adaptable, flexible, and at peace in a changing environment. I have balanced more projects than I can count and have developed so many new and unique skills that have made me a more capable professional and resourceful individual. I’ve taken a picture with marine science icon Sylvia Earle, given a presentation on mantis shrimp at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, and been in rooms with senators and lawmakers that I’ve watched on-screen for years. I’ve attended outreach events, helped to plan two Knauss Proms, and been at more networking happy hours than one could imagine. Outside of work, I’ve nurtured my personal life as well by joining a local touch rugby club, volunteering at a harm reduction center, attending weekly trivia nights, and maintaining a steady presence at the countless social gatherings that make DC such a vibrant place to live.
All of this is to say that, despite the circumstances, this fellowship has been exactly what I made of it, and I have received back every drop of effort I have poured into it. Though this year has undoubtedly been the most hectic year of my life, it has also been one of the most rewarding and transformative. I wouldn’t change a thing about what I’ve accomplished over the last nine months, and I can’t wait to see what joys the final three will bring.
Posted 29 October 2025