Cassandra Worthington MPP ’23 has been recognized as a finalist for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship class of 2024 through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Sea Grant College Program. In January 2024, she will interview with congressional senators and committees followed by a year-long role as a congressional legislative fellow beginning in February.
Before arriving at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy to pursue her master’s degree, Worthington received her bachelor's degree in environmental science with a minor in political science from Drew University. She spent the next five years working as a high school science teacher with Teach for America then as a community organizer for environmental nonprofit organizations. Her journey toward a master’s degree in public policy was influenced by a professor who recognized her advocacy skills and encouraged her to explore public policy. Worthington shares, “I was always getting into trouble with advocacy campaigns like divestment, and my professor … encouraged me to learn how to assist policymakers in tough decisions.”
Once at the School of Public Policy, Worthington worked as a graduate assistant to Professor Rosina Bierbaum who not only became her mentor but, according to Worthington, also provided opportunities “to learn about the two-way street between science and public policy – one of the key aspects of the Knauss Fellowship.” Highlighting Worthington’s contributions, Bierbaum notes, “Cassandra … worked as an equal with the senior team of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) to evaluate how well global environment facility projects involved appropriate stakeholders at all stages of the project, evaluated climate risk and included adaptive management and innovative approaches.”
After attending an event hosted by the Sustainability Environment and Energy Council (SEEC) – the School’s student environmental organization – Worthington started to consider applying for the Knauss Fellowship. During the SEEC event, UMD alum and Assistant Administrator for NOAA Nicole Leboeuf spoke about NOAA’s work to protect the oceans and their impact on climate change. Worthington recalls, “This lecture was a game changer for me because it shifted my focus from the atmosphere to a more holistic view that includes our oceans.” She adds, “The oceans and coastline have always been a place of wonder and amazement, but I was starting to understand oceans on a deeper level.”
Worthington's journey has been shaped by the support and encouragement she received from Bierbaum and other SPP professors including Anand Patwardhan, Rob Sprinkle and Tom Hilde. "Professor Patwardhan’s passion for environmental justice and risk analysis was contagious, and I am very grateful for the countless hours … spent supporting me and my classmates," shares Worthington. She also expresses her appreciation for Professor Sprinkle, highlighting the many office hours he generously devoted to helping her unravel complex challenges related to cumulative risks and impacts, both in the Cumulative Impacts and Risks workshop and her capstone project.
These mentors not only nurtured her intellectual development but also provided her with invaluable academic opportunities. As assistant director of the Indonesia Study Abroad program, Worthington had the privilege of collaborating closely with Professor Hilde to conceive and execute the program. This transformative experience deepened her understanding of diverse perspectives and prompted her to reevaluate her pre-existing assumptions regarding environmental policy.
Reflecting on this experience with gratitude, Worthington shares, “Dr. Hilde’s dedication to his students, coupled with his passion for fostering global citizens, created an educational journey beyond anything I’ve witnessed in a classroom.”
She firmly believes that these experiences played a critical role in her selection for the NOAA Sea Grant program. Her academic enrichment also extended beyond coursework, as she collaborated with each professor outside the classroom, gaining valuable insights along the way. Their support and mentorship buoyed Worthington in her moments of self doubt. Despite submitting her application in the winter of 2022, Worthington didn't receive word of her selection as a Maryland Sea Grant nominee until the spring of 2023 and it wasn't until the summer of 2023 that she received the news of her national selection.
On teaching and working with Worthington, Sprinkle observes, “Cassandra is superlative: as a student, as a collaborator, as a person and as a personality. … Most of what our research group ever needed she’d already arranged. And the problems engendered by particular circumstances — and by our own methodological choices — she understood intuitively and had quietly been considering ego-sparing work-arounds.”
Emphasizing Worthington’s passion and goals, Bierbaum observes, “She seeks to link understanding of the global context to the realm of the national, regional, state and local. She wants to learn from, and work with, those focused on business, urban planning, communication and sociology.”
Upon completion of her NOAA National Sea Grant College Program fellowship, Worthington hopes to stay on Capitol Hill or pursue opportunities with NOAA focusing on climate and marine policy. Offering a glimpse into Worthington’s future, Bierbaum aptly predicts, “The Knauss Fellowship is the perfect next step in her career, one that I expect will focus on the intersection of climate resilience, environmental justice and sustainability.”
