A Guam native has been selected for the first time as a finalist for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, a one-year fellowship in which participants gain hands-on experience at host government offices in Washington, D.C., transferring science to policy and management. Lauren Swaddell, a graduate student studying environmental science at the University of Guam, was one of 66 finalists announced on July 11.

Finalists were chosen through a highly competitive process that included several rounds of review at both the local and national levels.

"We're very proud of Ms. Swaddell as she enters this prestigious fellowship, and we're pleased that the National Sea Grant College Program continues to support the growth and success of UOG Sea Grant," said UOG President Robert A. Underwood.

Swaddell will travel to Washington, D.C., this fall to interview with executive or legislative offices. She will begin her one-year appointment in February.

“I’m honored to be selected as Guam’s first Knauss fellow, and I’m looking forward to the valuable experience I will gain to make a difference for our island,” Swaddell said.

She will be joining finalists representing 30 of the 33 Sea Grant programs across the nation to comprise the 40^th class of the fellowship program.

Since 1979, the National Sea Grant College Program has provided more than 1,200 early-career professionals with one-year fellowships in federal government offices in Washington, D.C.

Swaddell also serves as a graduate research assistant at UOG Sea Grant and the UOG Center for Island Sustainability. She holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Hunter College City University of New York.