May highlighted student mentor—Leann Winn
Our National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) mentor for May 2022 is Leann Winn (she/they), Upper School Faculty and Advisor at the Trevor Day School. As an Upper School Faculty and Advisor Leann’s job dictates that she teaches Upper School Science classes, including Principles of Ecology and Evolution, Biology I, and Advanced Biology: Marine Science, while serving as an advisor for a group of Upper School students. Additionally, Leann assists in the joint effort to develop and lead professional development workshops and school wide seminars that cultivate an inclusive and equitable environment, as well as mentor students through internships and independent research projects.
When asked what she loves most about her job, Leann replied, “I truly favor that I have the opportunity to collaborate on Scope and Sequence with my department colleagues to scaffold skills for our unique Coordinated Science program. Furthermore, I appreciate having the freedom to develop new classes, as I did with the Principles of Ecology and Evolution elective in order to create a more robust program of offerings. Most of all,” she says,
“I am humbled to have established the Marine Science curriculum with the hope of creating a more ocean literate community and instill excitement.”
Leann earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology as well as a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from Coastal Carolina University and a Master of Science in Environmental Education from Florida Institute of Technology. Leann also credits her career success to her Field Research Internship with Bimini Biological Field Station Foundation, Outreach Assistantship with Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at University of Miami, and Research Assistantship with the Fluid Locomotion Laboratory at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University. Leann adds, “Each opportunity provided hands-on and one-on-one experience, which were key.”
When asked what advice she would give to her younger self, Leann replied,
“Seek out female mentors and more funding opportunities.”
Beyond her paid job, Leann continues to volunteer and take part in professional organizations and research projects. Leann indicated that, “For me, this serves to keep me up-to-date, but also fosters networking and is quite rewarding to be involved on a broad scale.” Leann is the Education Advisor for Sharks4Kids, Inc., where she oversees the curriculum development and implementation of educational resources while conducting outreach activities such as in-person or virtual talks, field trips, and teacher workshops. Leann serves as the New York State Marine Education Association (NYSMEA) Chapter representative for NMEA, where she acts as a liaison between the national and state board representatives in an effort to share content, events, and efforts with the community. She was one of the co-chairs for the first virtual NMEA Conference held in 2021 and is currently a co-chair helping to organize the first hybrid NMEA Conference scheduled for July 9-13, 2022 with the theme, "Charting the Course with Perseverance."
Leann invites you to the NMEA 2022 Student Conference, which will be on Monday, July 11th, 8:30am-5:15pm ET at Hofstra University, NY. The Student Conference features Keynote Speaker Maynard Okereke, the Hip Hop M.D., and offers lab tours, panel discussions, student poster presentations, workshops, and more! Student conference registration is $20 and you must be a NMEA student member to register. Registration and more details can be found here. If you are a student (age 13 and up) who has been working on a project related to the marine environment, we encourage you to consider sharing your work with others. Project presentation submission can be done so here. We hope to see you at the 2022 NMEA Student Conference!
Are you interested in connecting with Leann and asking more questions? NMEA Student members are given the opportunity to connect with our student mentors! Email us to find out more about becoming a student member: students@marine-ed.org or join NMEA today!