Victoria Williams
This month's sustainability champion is Victoria Williams, a senior majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Anthropology. Read our full interview to learn about how Victoria forged her own path in order to pursue her passion for marine ecology on campus, at the James River, at the Chesapeake Bay, and abroad in Panama.
How did you get interested in Environmental Studies?
I originally came here with a goal of majoring in Global Studies, but after taking a few classes I realized that I didn't really enjoy the course material aside from the modules they included about climate change. So I explored that through classes and got involved with SEEDS, then I switched majors my sophomore year.
Can you describe SEEDS and your involvement with the group?
SEEDS is a diverse, student-run group that takes alternative spring break trips to West Virginia, Louisiana, and Michigan to examine the complexities of American social and environmental issues and cultivate active citizens among our students. My freshman year, I went on the trip to West Virginia and I felt like I learned a lot more than in a classroom, I loved the community built among all the students on the trip, and I thought it was really valuable to talk to people living in the coal mining community we visited. After that year, I joined the organization's leadership as the Fall Break Trip Chair, then the Education Chair, and this year I'm the President. As President, I oversee all three trips, help with logistics, assist with financial planning and fundraising, and participate in conversations about the future of SEEDS.
Through SEEDS, I've built really great relationships with our diverse leadership team and trip participants. SEEDS provides a space for students to meet and bond with people they wouldn't normally interact with on campus. Personally, I've grown as a leader and gained more confidence in what I want to do in the future. During the trips, I've also seen how environmental issues can be people issues. In West Virginia, for example, it's hard to say that we shouldn't use coal at all because there's a whole community that's been built around coal mining.
What aspects of Environmental Studies are you most passionate about?
I'm most passionate about marine ecology, marine justice, and justice for coastal communities. I want to focus my research on that in the future and I definitely want to work in the area of ecology policy.
What's one experience that has helped you learn more about marine ecology during your time at University of Richmond?
During the fall semester of my junior year, I studied with SFS Panama. The whole experience really affirmed my love for marine ecology. While I was there, I got to do a lot of different things. I earned my diving certificate, I collected poison dart frogs, and I spoke with indigenous groups. Mainly though, my focus was on researching whether marine protected areas were actually keeping coral reefs healthier. In the end, the answer was no, the reefs in protected areas weren't doing better than reefs in unprotected areas. This was partially because ecological priorities didn't match up with socioeconomic priorities as they were pushing for more tourism, more development and hotels, and more boat traffic near those areas.
What other research have you done over the past four years?
I worked as a water quality intern with the James River Association over the course of a summer, then a semester as a Bonner Scholar. The JRA does citizen scientist led water quality monitoring each summer, so I trained Richmond residents to test for turbidity and E. coli, tracked the data, and updated online information weekly so the wider community could be informed about water quality in different areas. I really liked educating citizens about the environment and the work gave me better insight into the structure of a nonprofit organization.
I also participated in a Research Experience for Undergrads through the Maryland Sea Grant working with Dr. Matthew Gray at Horn Point Lab in Cambridge, Maryland to build a deployable, autonomous CO2 sensor. Not all of the big buoys out in the Chesapeake Bay track CO2 fluctuations, so the goal of this sensor was to create a cheap way to track points throughout the bay and understand the effects of ocean acidification. They also had an oyster hatchery at the lab and it was fun to help with spawnings and other aspects of that.
What are you hoping to do after graduation?
I recently got accepted in Oregon State University's Master of Public Policy program on a full ride, so that will start in the fall. It seems off the path of Environmental Studies, but I'll still be able to participate in interdisciplinary research on marine ecology. My adviser is an UR alum, Dr. Ana Spalding, so she's helping me connect with opportunities. I'll have the chance to work with marine sustainability in Oregon and I'll also be able to return to Panama to help develop a national marine policy plan. After my master's degree, I hope to pursue my PhD at Oregon State.
What advice would you give to students interested in taking a first step towards getting involved in sustainability?
Try everything you can and make sure you take advantage of all the resources the University has to offer. There's so much to do. Looking at my path, we don't have marine studies here, but I was able to pursue it within Environmental Studies. So once you find your niche, run with it. You just have to carve your own path.
Thank you Victoria for all you do to support sustainability here at University of Richmond! Do you know someone who should be featured as a Sustainability Champion? Let us know at sustainability@richmond.edu.