My Experiences in Understanding and Connecting With Diverse Local Communities

Hello! My name is Liam Hoffman, I am a current fourth year marine science student at Cal State, Monterey Bay. As my time as an undergraduate student begins to come to an end, I am excited for what the future holds not just for me, but the entire science community as a whole. As a devout fisherman and diver, I seek to bring new perspectives to the scientific community that correlates with both the communities needs and the needs of our local marine ecosystem.

As an undergraduate student, I worked on various vessels in California and most recently, one in Alaska this past summer. While working on the water, I’ve been able to gather a plethora of local attitudes towards the ocean as well as observe catch patterns of economically valuable local species of marine vertebrates. 

I along with one other CSUMB student are fortunate enough to be the newest team members on this project. As interns, we have been surveying various geographic locations ranging from Monterey to San Francisco in the past month by going to local events or community centers. Our survey locations were previously planned to better connect with a diverse range of community members in order to align with our mission of providing equity and management in regards to coastal access.

Over the past month I have connected with various communities with members being from not only the general populace but also in the scientific community. Hearing personal stories, perspectives, and concerns from the community members we have interacted with has been crucial to making the vital connections necessary for achieving our goals.  Not only have these connections been important to the organization, but also myself personally as it constantly trains and challenges me for my future in management as a marine scientist. One survey participant in Seaside discussed with us about how his Hawaiian heritage is deeply intertwined with the well-being of the ocean and its natural resources. His pride for his culture made him eager to talk to us for a while longer after taking the survey which we greatly appreciated. He communicated with us that he has been seeing an improvement in the quality of the local beaches in Seaside over the last 40 years but expressed concerns about other regions of the world, especially Hawaii. As a fourth generation fisherman, he and I shared the same general concern for the future of the health of our global marine ecosystems. Whether that be from overfishing, pollution, etc, he and I both shared the same question; are we doing enough and in our lifetimes to prevent a total collapse of our world’s oceans? I felt his concern through his anxious tone. This acts as a fuel to achieving my goals throughout my academic and professional career so the next generation can enjoy even healthier marine ecosystems.

The picture above is of me (center), Lucas Lowe, and Taylor Triviño in San Francisco for Makey’s Korner Block Party.This event in front of the Civic Center Plaza was held to raise awareness about suicide awareness and prevention to  provide supportive outreach for the Black community. Booths surrounding our table station ranged from local, Black-owned vendors to community center volunteers for the San Francisco library. This opportunity to connect with the community on a larger scale was challenging at times for me as I was constantly improving on trying to get new people interested in how valuable their honest opinions about their use of the coastline was while simultaneously assisting participants with providing any additional interpretations of survey questions and thoughtfully gathering feedback/personal experiences. All in all, getting out of my comfort zone to engage others has been enjoyable and a boost of self morale. 

Working with this team and the organization as a whole has taught me how to further integrate social research with my personal aspirations of being a marine scientist. Listening and understanding the locals in my community of Seaside and how important ocean access is for their livelihood further drives my passion for educating more Californians about our local marine ecosystems as well as how to manage them properly for future generations to enjoy an even healthier and more accessible coastal environment.