Jocelyn Mitchell '10

Jocelyn Mitchell came to Northeastern University with little knowledge of NU’s experiential education focus. However, once she arrived, she quickly realized that she would have opportunities to get hands-on work experience in research through the Co-op Program and the Center for Experiential Education.

Jocelyn grew up in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. Her father is a tug boat captain so her interest in marine biology came naturally. Jocelyn attended a middle school program called Sea Lab and spent three weeks sailing and learning about oceanography in high school (Sea Education Association).

Jocelyn’s first Co-op experience is set for Summer2/Fall07. She is well prepared, having recently completed an experiential education internship at the NU Marine Science Center in Nahant, MA. During this internship, Jocelyn participated in a study taking place along the shores of Massachusetts, Maine, and South Carolina. The purpose of the project was to discover if marine plants produced defenses when preyed upon by herbivores. Jocelyn was responsible for monitoring and setting up experiments as well as collecting and analyzing data. As a direct result of her internship, Jocelyn will listed as co-author in two research publications (submitted for publication).

The Co-op Program is important to Jocelyn. She plans to work as a Co-op for marine biologists she met through her internship. Jocelyn appreciates that, without the experiential education opportunities offered at NU, it would not be possible for her to meet other professionals in the field of marine biology and to find out about opportunities to pursue or mentoring relationships available to her.

What does the future hold for Jocelyn after graduation? Jocelyn plans to teach in the Teach for America program for two years before attending graduate school. Long-range plans include combining teaching and research at the university level.