by Interviewer: Genavieve Pansera
Cruise: Sikuliaq
Interviewee: Amanda Williams
Q1) Where were you born?
A: Alexandria, Virginia – I grew up in a suburban neighborhood outside of Washington, DC and spent time boating with my parents and sister. I fostered a love for the ocean that way because we would always go to the ocean and lakes.
Q2) What was your life like in undergrad? How did you end up in this field?
A: I started as an International Business major with minors in music and Spanish. I was also in the drumline at James Madison University. I was sort of lost; I felt like I had no direction. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I knew I cared about the environment and liked the ocean and maps. My cousin told me to look into classes and professors, and I stumbled upon geography – “Yeah!” I thought all the classes were interesting, but I still didn’t know what to do for a career. As soon as I got into that program, a lot of doors opened up. Studying abroad and doing internships really helped focus me on wanting to do ocean-related work after I graduated, but even after I graduated everything still felt all over the place.
Q3) If there was one piece of advice you could give to someone in undergrad, what would it be?
A: The thing I’ve been saying on this trip a lot: If an opportunity interests you, even a little bit, SAY YES! Apply for it. Ask questions and talk to your peers in order to network. Say yes to the experience! If it costs money, you’ll find it – grants or loans or scholarships – don’t let fear of not knowing where it’s leading you or fear of the money side of things stop you from trying new experiences.
Q4) What has been your job journey?
A: After graduation, I studied abroad in the Turks and Caicos Islands through the School for Field Studies, and it was my first introduction to coral reefs. It was really a pivotal point for me as that became my career for the next decade. And it was just a summer program! At the end of that, I went to the Florida Keys and was an intern for a semester at the Newfound Harbor Marine Institution (also known as Seacamp during the summertime). There, I got to teach sixth graders all about the ocean. I barely had any knowledge of coral reefs or of the marine environment prior to the internship; some of the other camp counselors were studying law and English, so really anyone could learn to teach marine biology there.
Next, I worked as a Cartographer for NOAA making electronic navigational charts (ENCs). Those are the charts onboard of the vessel to help them to navigate. Most of the world uses ENCs. I learned how these charts are built, and I spent a year updating nautical charts.
However, I felt like I really needed to go to graduate school. I wanted to get back to coral reefs! At University of North Carolina, Wilmington, I studied Marine Science and got my Masters doing research in the Philippines on coral reefs.
From there, I found a great job at a non-profit under Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation as the Marine Science GIS Analyst. I’d go out to sea doing coral reef surveys while SCUBA diving, and live on a ship a month at a time to travel the Caribbean for about 5 years. At some point, I decided it was time for a change as I wanted more of a geographic information system (GIS) focus.
I ended up at GIS, Inc (now part of NV5). I had a great time supporting the Navy Shore Energy program as a project manager, in order to support the Navy’s efforts to reduce energy consumption in their Navy base buildings. That was my first real experience getting to supervise people. Going from intern, to teaching, to a coral reef researcher, to being a project manager in a span of nine years – my career had totally changed and it had grown so much. I believe it’s all worked out because I just kept saying yes to new opportunities when something really piqued my interest!
Eventually, I ended up at my job at the United States Department of State in The Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs as the Maritime Geographer. The job description felt like it was written for me, as if all of my work thus far was pointing me towards this job. I applied and somehow got it. Now, I am a federal employee with the U.S. government working in science diplomacy.
In my current job, I have done everything from negotiating maritime boundaries, protesting unlawful maritime claims, to serving on the U.S. Advisory Committee for Undersea Features (in a nutshell, we get to name seabed features!). I serve on the U.S. delegation to the International Hydrographic Organization focusing specifically on hydrographic capacity building in the South-West Pacific Islands. My main role now is as the Marine Scientific Research (MSR) Lead for the United States. I coordinate and facilitate the diplomatic consent process as laid out in the Law of the Sea Convention. This process is what grants a scientist to conduct MSR in waters under a foreign country’s jurisdiction.Having quite a bit of foreign travel experience and a background in MSR, it gives me a basis for understanding what scientists need to get their jobs done and I can assist with explaining the importance of the research. Even though it’s a lot of paperwork and it’s somewhat similar to a consular visa process – a lot of paperwork back and forth – I get to support science and science diplomacy, even if I’m not the one in the field doing research anymore.
Looking back, I just kept saying yes to stuff! Whatever your path, my advise is that if something is interesting to you, then dive into it. It could be baking, scientific research, walking dogs, or whatever. Even if you don’t end up in a career in the marine sciences, just follow things you like and it won’t feel too much like work. You’d be surprised how often you can get a job you love.
Q5) What do you do outside of work and what career advice do you have if you have a lot of different interests?
A: Oh, I have so many interests! Exercise science, health and wellness, fostering dogs, baking, gardening, triathlon, SCUBA diving, running. I have all these interests, but I’m not sure I’d ever seek out a job out of all these things. I really love my current job , but I wish I could get out to sea more. My point is that you can have a lot of different interests and still have a very rewarding career. I have been able to influence and shape my current job, too, by bringing my unique set of skills and experiences to the table. Also, don’t ever feel like you have to stay in a job if you’re unhappy.I try to look for the balance of job satisfaction with a liveable wage and benefits with work-life balance, which is very important to me.
Q6) Why is the State Department on this cruise?
A:The reason I am here is because the State Department facilitates the MSR diplomatic consent process for ships similar to the R/V Sikuliaq when they wish to conduct MSR in foreign waters. Also, the State Department provides American leadership, diplomacy, and scientific cooperation to conserve and protect the global environment, ocean, and space for the prosperity, peace, and security of this and future generations. In addition to mentoring students, I am here to foster relationships with the other scientists for the MSR process, and to collaborate with the chief scientist and other U.S. government science agencies on how else the State Department can assist with science diplomacy. I’ve really loved being able to be at sea with STEMSEAS in order to chat with the students about their goals and interests (and worries). Thank you so much for wanting to interview me! I’m so glad we met, Genavieve!
