About

An Idea is Born

The idea for this organization came about in June 2020 as the direct result of the #BlackInNature hashtag created as part of #BlackBirdersWeek hosted by @BlackAFInStem on Twitter. Through this hashtag we were able to begin making our first introductions and connect with the Field School. The rest, as they say...is history.

Meet the Founders

learningwithjasmin@gmail.com
Website: learningwithjasmin.org

amaniwebberschultz@gmail.com

cjacks90@fau.edu

jaidaelcock@gmail.com

Jasmin Graham President & CEO
Mote Marine Laboratory
Jasmin specializes in elasmobranch ecology and evolution. Her past research interests include smalltooth sawfish movement ecology and hammerhead shark phylogeny. She is a member of the American Elasmobranch Society and served on their Student Affairs Committee as the Early Career Representative. She is a member of the IUCN Shark Specialist group and serves on their Communications Team. She worked as an instructor for the Saturday at the Sea program through the Florida State University Office of STEM Teaching Activities. Jasmin has a passion for science education and making science more accessible for everyone. She is the project coordinator for the MarSci-LACE project, which is focused on researching and promoting best practices to recruit, support and retain minority students in marine science. She is excited to help open doors for more underrepresented minority students to join the exciting field of marine science.

Amani Webber-Schultz Chief Financial Officer
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Amani is a PhD student at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Her research will focus on shark morphology and biomechanics. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Marine Science. During her undergraduate studies, she was a student researcher in Dr. Brooke Flammang's Fluid Locomotion Lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Dr. Elisabeth Sikes' Paleoceanography Lab at Rutgers. Both labs allowed her to experience different areas of marine science. In the Fluid Locomotion Lab, Amani created 3-D models in Mimics Innovation Suite from CT scans for morphological studies of remoras. She received honorable mention for the NSF GRFP in 2021. Amani is currently a fellow at Field School where she is continuing to develop her shark research and handling skills. She loves meeting new people and is very excited to share her experiences and help others succeed in any way she can.

Carlee Jackson Director of Communications
Sea Turtle Research Associate for the New College of Florida, based at Walt Disney World
Carlee is a shark and sea turtle conservationist. She is an M.S. graduate from Nova Southeastern University, where she researched the effects of provisioning tourism on nurse sharks in Belize. Carlee has worked with NSU’s shark tagging program, tagging sharks along the coast of Broward County. She is currently a Sea Turtle Research Associate at The Walt Disney Company, assisting with various marine conservation research as part of the Disney Conservation Team. Carlee is a member of the American Elasmobranch Society, where she was a 2019 YPRF Diversity scholar. Previously, Carlee has worked as a Marine Turtle Specialist at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, and as an environmental educator in south Florida, taking students on outdoor educational field trips all across Florida. Originally from Detroit, Mi, she graduated in 2016 with a B.S. in Biology from Florida Atlantic University. Carlee is very passionate about research and field work, striving to contribute to the conservation of sharks and sea turtles. She is eager to expose more minority students to the field of marine science and hopes to inspire more diversity in this field.

Jaida Elcock Director of Public Relations
MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Jaida Elcock is a PhD student in the MIT-WHOI Joint Program. Her research is on shark movement ecology. She is particularly interested in the movement ecology of migratory elasmobranchs, as this information is still unknown for many species. Jaida received her B.S. in Biology with University Honors from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She has previously lived in landlocked states but has still been able to gain experience with marine animals through an internship at OdySea Aquarium in Scottsdale, Arizona. Though not a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, Jaida was recognized as an Honorable Mention for her research proposal. She has also been recognized as an American Elasmobranch Society Young Professional Recruitment Fund Scholar. Jaida is incredibly excited to help other underrepresented students light a fire within themselves to fuel a passion for marine sciences.

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