Major in Coastal & Marine Sciences

Receive full tuition support as an R. Todd Stravitz Scholar

The bachelor's degree program in Coastal and Marine Sciences launched in fall 2025 as the first undergraduate major in coastal and marine sciences at a Virginia public university. The program provides a foundational education in coastal and marine sciences with an emphasis on experiential learning and research.

Known as Stravitz Scholars, students accepted into the undergraduate program benefit from full tuition support thanks to the transformative gift of Dr. R Todd Stravitz ‘82 and the Brunckhorst Foundations. Additionally, they each receive a $5,000 stipend to fund independent research, internships or related study abroad opportunities thanks to Jane Batten’s HON ‘ 17, L.H.D. ‘19 historic philanthropy. Stravitz Scholars also benefit from formal mentorship from Batten School & VIMS graduate students as well as unparalleled immersive research and experiential learning opportunities in the field and lab.

↓ Scroll to learn more about the inaugural class of Stravitz Scholars below.

2025 Stravitz Scholars

Click on a student's picture to jump to their biography, or scroll to learn about them all.

Nicolas Goodman

Sierra Hall

Naomi Heilen

Mary Laun

Darius McCallum

Annika McCarrick

Elias Mitrokostas

Becket Rydzewski

Lily Shriner

Savanna Stone

Jonnelle Weier

Nicolas Goodman

Nicolas Goodman’s commitment to coastal and marine studies is a natural progression of his lifelong curiosity for the sea. As a Stravitz Scholar, he looks forward to engaging in cutting-edge research alongside faculty and students at the Batten School & VIMS. While his academic interests focus on marine biogeochemistry and the global cycles that shape oceanic systems, Goodman is more broadly driven by a desire to expand our global understanding of the ocean. As part of the inaugural cohort, he feels honored to help chart the path for future students and looks forward to a meaningful career in pursuit of knowledge.

Sierra Hall

Sierra Hall’s childhood along the Long Island Sound developed into a lifelong passion for nature and, as a student, a focused interest in studying coastal ecology. At the Batten School & VIMS, Hall is thrilled to dive into opportunities to learn in an immersive, engaging setting. Grateful to be part of the inaugural cohort, she looks forward to honing both her academic knowledge and her identity as a scientist, preparing her for graduate school and a career dedicated to coastal and marine sciences. Through an integration of both academic research and community-based science, Hall hopes that her work will lend to a greater appreciation for science in the world around her.

Naomi Heilen

Naomi Heilen is taking an interdisciplinary approach to coastal and marine sciences as an inaugural Stravitz Scholar at the Batten School & VIMS. She intends to build upon her current research on aquatic fungal communities in order to explore the dynamic relationships between organisms, environments and resources. Heilen looks forward to the experience of field-based education and research as part of a motivated, mission-driven community. She intends to pursue graduate studies and to allow the experiences ahead to guide her personal and professional growth.

Mary Laun

Summertime at the beach led to Mary Laun’s love for the coast, but it was a high school oceanography course that solidified her interest in marine ecology. While some would be deterred from fieldwork after sinking hip-deep into a marsh, Laun is eager to build on her current research at William & Mary focused on coastal ecology. As a Stravitz Scholar, she is excited to engage with Batten School & VIMS faculty directly on the Gloucester Point campus while preparing for graduate school and a career dedicated to coastal ecology and community resiliency.

Darius McCallum

A Hampton Roads native, Darius McCallum’s childhood along our local waterways led him toward William & Mary and the pursuit of a degree in coastal and marine sciences. With a passion for fisheries, he’s excited to discover how being a Stravitz Scholar at the Batten School & VIMS will contribute to his personal and professional growth. McCallumis looking forward to immersive learning and building upon his previous research experience, hoping one day to educate others — either as a professor at a historically black college or the founder of a community-based marine science program.

Annika McCarrick

Annika McCarrick’s love for the coast was born in New England, but it was at William & Mary that she fully committed to pursuing marine science. She is eager to join a research lab and engage in hands-on fieldwork, particularly in coastal ecology and resiliency. McCarricklooks forward to establishing lasting relationships with the professors at the Batten School & VIMS as well as with her peers. Thanks to the opportunity to pioneer this program as a Stravitz Scholar, she is confident that a fulfilling (and coastal) career is on the horizon.

Elias Mitrokostas

Early exploration of New England tide pools led Elias Mitrokostas on a path towards the Batten School & VIMS. His childhood wonder evolved into an intellectual curiosity that will be furthered during his time in the lab, field and classroom as a Stravitz Scholar. With an interest in both people and planet, Mitrokostas plans to deepen his understanding of animal behavior and physiology. He looks forward to building strong personal and professional relationships with peers, mentors and faculty in pursuit of a career in wildlife research.

Becket Rydzewski

In the face of immense environmental challenges, Becket Rydzewski has committed to a pursuit of knowledge and solutions. He is especially interested in studying the evolutionary history and adaptive qualities of marine organisms in support of community resiliency against global changes. At the Batten School & VIMS, Rydzewski is most excited to experience hands-on research alongside faculty and students. Grateful to be part of the inaugural cohort of Stravitz Scholars, he looks forward to immersing himself in studies, building lasting connections and preparing for graduate school and a career in marine science.

Lily Shriner

Lily Shriner’s passion for coastal and marine science began inland, when she studied first-hand the relationship between water quality management in Pennsylvania and the Chesapeake Bay. Since then, experiences at William & Mary, such as with the Coastal Ecogeomorphology Lab, have deepened her interest in coastal ecosystems and their resilience to changing environmental conditions. As a Stravitz Scholar, Shriner is excited to expand her fieldwork skills and learn new research techniques. She hopes her work will one day contribute to developing solutions to our most pressing environmental issues and needs.

Savanna Stone

Savanna Stone has always been captivated by marine life, and she has the aquarium to prove it. After returning to campus (fish tank in tow), she took a marine science mash-up course with Professor Chris Hein that solidified her path toward a degree in coastal and marine science. With a deep interest in cephalopods, Savanna hopes that the combination of immersive research and fieldwork that the Batten School & VIMS provide will prepare her for a career dedicated to marine invertebrates. As an inaugural Stravitz Scholar, she looks forward to learning new research skills and building meaningful relationships in preparation for graduate school.

Jonnelle Weier

Jonnelle Weier was left fascinated when, at 8 years old, she came face to face with a sandbar shark (don't worry, it was through aquarium glass). That encounter established a lifelong passion for shark conservation and set the stage for Weier’s growing interest in the wonders of the ocean. At Batten School & VIMS, she is excited to expand past theoretical studies through hands-on fieldwork as a Stravitz Scholar. Bridging passion with purpose, Weier hopes her studies, and eventual career, will allow her to further legislative protections for sharks and the industries and ecosystems that benefit from this keystone species.