Pasadena Water and Power Scholarship Essay Since holding a starfish in her hand for the first time at 5 years old, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson has held every marine animal in her heart through her work as a climate change activist, marine biologist, and policy expert. Dr. Johnson has not only made several ground-breaking discoveries regarding the conservation of our ocean life, but has also broken professional boundaries as a woman of color working in the water and power industry. In a TEDx Talk, Dr. Johnson claims, “I’m not motivated by hope, but rather a desire to be useful.” With this fervor towards change-making, she and a Curaçao local fisherman, Ibi Zimmerman, collaborated to invent a modified fish trap with escape gaps to prevent the unsustainable collection of bycatch. The simple model allows the unwanted narrow-bodied and juvenile fish to escape, reducing bycatch by up to 80% and reducing the catch of key herbivores, animals necessary for maintaining coral dominance, by over 50%. This invention does not only have an environmental advantage, but also an economic one: with a simple and low-cost modification to fish traps, the fish population and ecosystem can recover more quickly after harvesting, leading to the reproduction of more fish and consequently a potential increase in fishers’ income. Dr. Johnson’s modification is now required in all fish traps in Curaçao and is slowly being implemented in several fishing communities in Africa. While assisting in the release of these fish, Dr. Johnson also exhibits her ability to gather; as the former Executive Director of the Waitt Institute, the Founder and president of Ocean Collectiv, and the co-director of partnerships for the 2017 March for Science, Dr. Johnson has built a coalition of millions of people striving to support science in policy-making. At the Waitt Institute, Dr. Johnson recruited an international team of scientists, artists, lawyers, and technologists to build the Blue Halo Initiative: a group of impactful leaders protecting the waters and species of Barbuda. Recognizing the power of interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Johnson ESSAY #6 founded the Ocean Collectiv, a social justice-oriented strategy consulting firm sharing conservation solutions. Their work includes supporting a grant program for ocean conservation work, leveraging art for policy change, supporting a campaign to end plastic pollution, and protecting coral reefs. Dr. Johnson spearheaded the international March for Science, a historical movement against the governmental policies limiting scientists and evidence-based policymaking. Through the success of this protest, she reminds us that progress in science involves work outside of labs. With so many achievements comes an inspiration that is priceless. Seeing Dr. Johnson’s impact throughout the streets of my hometown, Los Angeles, deeply resonates with me, as I am also a woman of color interested in the STEM field. Her work with several disciplines serves as a reminder that progress requires intense collaboration. She claims, “Marine conservation is not just about counting and saving the fish. It’s about people.” Dr. Johnson has shown us that no matter our personal backgrounds, we all share one future and it’s our job to protect it. ESSAY #6 Works Cited “Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.” Hearts on Fire, HHHHHwww.heartsonfire.org/ayana-elizabeth- johnson-ayana-elizabeth-consulting-llc. “Bio.” AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON, www.ayanaelizabeth.com/bio. Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth, director. How to Use the Ocean without Using It Up. TED, HHHHHwww.ted.com/talks/ayana_elizabeth_johnson_a_love_story_for_the_coral_reef_crisis/u HHHHHp-next#t-390394. Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. “Ocean Collectiv.” Ocean Collectiv, 2020, www.oceancollectiv.co/. Johnson, Ayana Elizabeth. “Solution: Escape Gaps for Fish Traps.” National Geographic Society HHHHHNewsroom, 15 Dec. 2017, HHHHHblog.nationalgeographic.org/2013/05/07/solution- escape-gaps-for-fish-traps/. Sykes, Tanisha A. “This Black Woman Marine Biologist Is Working To Make The World A HHHHHBetter Place.” Essence, Essence, 15 Nov. 2018, HHHHHwww.essence.com/lifestyle/money-career/marine-biologist-ayana-elizabeth-johnson/. .