Before law school, Allison Novelly ’10 was already an accomplished sailor and licensed scuba instructor, having worked for six years with ActionQuest, a marine education and adventure program for teenagers, based in the British Virgin Islands.

“I learned to swim before I could walk,” she says. “Through my childhood I explored the Connecticut seashore, and favored athletics centered on the water – swimming, water polo, sailing, diving and kayaking.”

Intensely involved in environmental conservation throughout high school and at Georgetown University, she has been president of the Environmental Law Society and active in the Maritime Law Society at RWU Law. Internships with Save The Bay and the Aquidneck Land Trust deepened her interest in coastal zoning, marine renewable energy, marine pollution policy, natural resource allocation and global climate change.

“Beyond recreation and adventure, the oceans provide a myriad of critical resources, and consequently are a ready target of opportunistic and destructive abuse by countries, corporations and individuals,” Novelly says. “Through the Marine Affairs Institute, I seek to gain the legal knowledge and skills needed to monitor and protect the oceans for the benefit of all humankind.”