Viktoria Skobodzinski (MA, 2025)

Viktoria Skobodzinski earned her bachelor's in Environmental Studies and Ecosystems and Human Impact from Stony Brook University and her master’s in  Marine Conservation and Policy (MCP) in 2025. Her capstone was “Assessing the No Discharge Zone (NDZ) in the Peconic Estuary” with the Peconic Estuary Partnership, mentored by David Taylor. During this time, she investigated the infrastructure, compliance, and culture of the NDZ. She created recommendations and amendments to county code for PEP to help strengthen compliance. Since she was always interested in non-point source pollution, she found this project was the perfect opportunity to assess waste from Long Island's boating community. The highlight of the MCP for her was the diversity of backgrounds of everyone involved, whether it was professors or other students in the program. She enjoyed being surrounded by people with different paths and interests, which she felt makes the program engaging. She feels forever grateful to SoMAS and SBU for the memories she made while on campus and for the opportunities that led her to where she is today. 

After graduation, she accepted a position with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County (CCE) as a Vegetable Program Assistant, under Sandy Menasha. She spends her days assisting with agricultural research by maintaining vegetable and fertilizer field trials and scouting farms for insects and plant diseases. She also works with growers across Eastern Long Island, communicating field observations and helping connect Sandy’s research with practical farming solutions. Even though the MCP degree focuses on marine conservation, the program emphasizes the importance of the connection between research, science communication, and community engagement, which have carried over directly into her current role with CCE and made transitioning to agriculture much easier. 

She notes that one of the most rewarding parts of her job is the people she works with. She has had the opportunity to learn from extension specialists and technicians who are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about what they do. She says, “Every day brings something new, whether it's learning about a different bug or disease, or seeing how different programs’ research directly supports our local farms. I genuinely enjoy coming to work knowing that I'll learn something new each day, which is a goal I have mentioned to almost everyone.”