About Me
My name is Mia Jones, and I'm from San Clemente, CA. Currently, I live in L.A., and I'm a Senior Biology major at Occidental College. I assist in Dr. Amber Stubler's lab in the Biology Dept., where we study coral reef health and resilience in Jamaica. I also am the co-president and co-founder of Oxy's marine sustainability and ocean conservation club, OxSEA, a player on the Occidental D3 Women's Lacrosse Team, and Senior Representative for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Eta Mu chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity. Outside of school, I intern with PROS Foundation, a nonprofit patient advocacy group for those with rare diseases. In my free time, I love to take hikes, go to the beach, work out, hang out with friends, cook, play with my pets (1 dog, 3 cats, and a desert tortoise), listen to classic rock, and just enjoy nature.
I am working towards a career in environmental science and conservation, with the plan of conducting research and incorporating that with science advocacy after I graduate. I aspire to get my master’s in Environmental Science in the near future. Considering my aspirations, I feel that maintaining an environmental blog will give me the experience to bridge the gap between the science community and the public through education and advocacy, to initiate global connections centered around equity and green mentalities, and to, therefore, help me make a broader impact on the plethora of environmental issues we face.
Why Start Eco Explained?
First and foremost, I hope creating this environmental blog will (1) help bridge the gap between the science community and societal perception. Being well-versed in environmental jargon and having general awareness and background of the issues at hand, I can serve as a translator to the public through this environmental blog. In the process of bridging this gap, creation of this blog will also (2) increase community literacy on current environmental topics by making the information more digestible and widely broadcasted in the Oxy and surrounding NELA community. In the case of this project, marketing and promotion through campus resources (3) will engage the Oxy community (and beyond) and allow interaction with environmentalism with excerpts in each post on how local community members can donate to a cause, can contribute to active movements or crises, can lead a more sustainable life, etc. Lastly, the blog will incorporate features on a variety of environmental advocates and (4) uplift LGBTQ+, BIPOC, disabled persons, and/or women environmentalists voices.