A seven-year stint in the U.S. Coast Guard offered Bridget Hoover many exciting experiences. It was also a time when she saw the water quality of the ocean at its worst.

After responding to many oil spills off the Eastern Seaboard and the Northwest, this 1999 CSUMB graduate knew she had the potential to do something more.

“It became very disheartening, and I wanted a job that was more proactive and preventative in nature. So that is how I directed my education,” said Hoover, who received a B.S. in Earth Systems Science & Policy.

For her senior capstone project, Hoover measured the water quality of runoff flowing from the outfalls in Monterey. She attributes her current career to the ESSP’s strong scientific foundation.

Today, she is director of water quality protection for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Within the program Hoover and her staff work with cities to implement storm water management, assist agricultural industry efforts to reduce runoff into the ocean, and educate the community about preserving the Earth’s most valuable resource – water.

“We all contribute to the pollution entering the sanctuary,” she said, “and we are all part of the solution.”