Breonna Jones

Class Year: 
2021
Current Position: 
RAY Conservation Diversity Fellow: Ocean Conservation Fellow
Current Organization: 
The Nature Conservancy
Location: 
Sacramento, CA

Breonna was born and raised in Gulfport, Mississippi. Being from a coastal town, she spent her life in whatever body of water she could lay her eyes on. She attended The University of Southern Mississippi where she got her Bachelors in Marine Biology. While in undergrad she focused on projects pertaining to biodiversity, ecosystem changes, and life history of organisms found along the MS, AL, FL, and LA Gulf Coast. Her interest in conservation stems from the biological knowledge she has of marine organisms. With her knowledge on how current environmental crises are negatively affecting organisms biologically, she knows what it takes to help conserve and protect marine organisms. 

She spends a lot of time back and forth from the Philippines visiting family which is another reason for her drive in ocean conservation. Breonna has witnessed the decline in land and sea as well as the increase in ocean debris in the Philippines. Knowing how heavily her own family relies on the ocean for food consumption, she wants to continue to advocate for positive change that benefits everyone not only in the Philippines but other underdeveloped coastal countries. Breonna plans to attend graduate school for marine science and possibly ocean policy. Her goal is to create a proper waste disposal system in underdeveloped countries that help to reduce marine debris and is sustainable to land and sea.