Emily Akamine is the former project assistant for Washington Sea Grant and Indigenous Aquaculture Collaborative Project. She recently earned a bachelors degree in Public and Global Health at the University of Washington. Growing up in Hawaii has made her appreciate the environmental stewardship led by Indigenous communities as well as injustices Native communities face in advocating for the environment. She has experience interning with Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA) in the Limu Hui project to help survey the shoreline and educate community members on the importance of Hawaii’s seaweeds. She has also worked with University of Washington Medicine in the Kidney Transplant Department in coordinating patient care with providers. Emily’s broader professional goal is to bring about representation and awareness to the environmental justice that coastal communities practice in their daily lives.