Hello! My name is Sebastian, and I’m working as a research assistant with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation on the Ocean Access Project . During the summer of 2025, I’m based in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, where I’m surveying California’s coastal communities - including tribal and underserved communities - to better understand how they use the ocean, what benefits it provides, and the challenges they face when accessing California’s coast. The insights from this work will help...

Hello! My name is Alexa Hernandez, and I am currently a third-year undergraduate student at California State University San Marcos, majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biology. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, where I worked on the Ocean Access Project in San Diego County conducting community surveys and talking with people across the county to better understand how people access, use, and value the ocean in...

I came up with the idea of dressing as a shark to draw people in, and it was a hit! Hello! I’m Fernando Gutierrez, a fourth-year undergraduate at California State University, Long Beach, and a first-generation student to Mexican parents. Starting my 2025 COAST internship with California Ocean Access is my first time engaging with social science. Through this research, we aim to deepen the connection between marine conservation and the people living in the areas it seeks to serve,...