Nya Washington is an incoming Freshman and R.C.N. Honors Scholar at Norfolk State University. She is an alumna of the 2024 Blue Carbon Ambassador program, actively advocating for Blue Carbon Ecosystems. In the year of 2025, Nya became a member of BIMS, Black in Marine Science. BIMS is an organization constructed by an expanding community of Black marine scientists providing impactful programs, research initiatives, and strategic partnerships.

She continues to advocate by updating her ocean conservation Blog, illustrating her coloring book, and hosting ocean-related elementary classroom visits. Her blog, Sea-Differently, is an ocean conservation blog providing educational resources to people interested in becoming more involved. While creating her educational coloring book, Nya has executed two elementary classroom visits regarding ocean conservation and decomposers.

When she isn’t occupied with work or school, she listens to music, journals, reads, does anything art-related, gardens, meditates, and practices yoga. She’s additionally proud of her 10-gallon community tank sustaining three Corydoras, three Amano Shrimp, and a Nerite snail named Bob. Nya is extremely excited to continue to create and use art as a major source of advocacy throughout her journey!