Julianna Acuña grew up landlocked in Tucson, Arizona — and fell in love with the ocean anyway, on childhood summer trips to San Diego. One afternoon, swimming out further than she probably should have, a pod of dolphins surfaced close enough to see. She was maybe ten years old. "I think this is my future," she remembers thinking.
That moment became a career: a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona, the presidency of the school's Marine Awareness and Conservation Society, and a curatorship of the largest stickleback fish collection in the country — built entirely from a landlocked state.
Right now, Julianna is spending her summer on a Marine and Community Conservation Externship through the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy, researching human-wildlife interactions at La Jolla Cove during peak sea lion pupping season. In this episode, she and Scott talk about what surprised her about the research, why facts alone don't change public behavior, and her plan to build a nonprofit blending mentorship with science communication.
In this episode:
A childhood dolphin encounter that set the course for everythingBuilding a marine science career from a landlocked state
Curating the largest stickleback fish collection in the country
Studying human-wildlife interactions during sea lion pupping season at La Jolla Cove
Why storytelling changes behavior when facts alone don't
Turning research into a self-guided audio tour and public awareness campaign
Building a nonprofit around mentorship, science communication, and access
The "rule of thumb" for safe wildlife viewing distance
ABOUT JULIANNA ACUÑA Marine conservationist, science communicator, and aspiring shark biologist. B.S., Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona. President, Marine Awareness & Conservation Society. Currently a Marine & Community Conservation Extern with the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy. 🌊 Instagram: @monstros_mom
ABOUT YOUR HOST Scott Shepherd is the founder of Wildward Institute, based in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. 🌿 wildwardinstitute.net
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