Meet Asta Habtemichael, a doctoral graduate in oceanography from Eritrea, and this year’s student commencement speaker for the Graduate School of Oceanography. As a member of GSO’s Lohmann Lab and trainee in the STEEPSuperfund Research Program, Asta pursued interdisciplinary research around bioaccumulation of persistent pollutants in marine food webs. During his time at URI, Asta also spent a year in Washington, D.C., as a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, a prestigious NOAA-funded fellowship that places recent graduate students in offices within the Executive or Legislative branches of government. For Asta, URI became a second home, where he built lasting friendships and collaborations while growing as both a scientist and leader. “I feel proud being an alum of such an incredible institution,” Asta says. “My academic, research, and service experiences at URI have taught me the importance of humility, empathy, and community in leadership.” After graduation, Asta will join the O...