Fellowship with: San Mateo County Flood & Sea Level Rise Resiliency District (OneShoreline)
Location: San Mateo, CA
Dates: May 27th – August 15th, 2025
What did you accomplish with your host organization? What was the impact of your work?
My time at OneShoreline was certainly a productive one! From orientation until my last day, it was clear that at a small government agency, being ready to switch gears is a critical skill. I was given a bit of everything: analyzing planning documents, putting together and giving presentations, heading out on site visits to mudflats and creeks, assisting making maps in ArcGIS, representing OneShoreline at events around the Bay, and even hanging picture frames in the office. As I moved between subjects and projects throughout the summer, I learned the importance of flexibility and being able to switch between multiple projects when working at small agencies where you need to be able to “do it all”.
During the summer, I assisted the team on several priority projects. These include the Millbrae Burlingame Shoreline Resilience Project –which seeks to create a multi-benefit coastal flood protection system along three miles of San Mateo County Shoreline south of SFO– and the San Bruno Flood Zone, where OneShoreline has been exploring the implementation of microgrants for flood protection at the individual household level, as well as an infrastructure project to improve flood conditions. For both of these projects, I engaged in substantive policy research on topics ranging from leveraging zoning ordinances to promote flood resiliency, the expansion of nature-based flood solutions, climate adaptation pathways, and the relationships between state, regional, and local policy and regulatory networks that make these projects a reality. I converted complex research findings into succinct internal memos which helped build OneShoreline capacity as well as my own knowledge.
Finally, a project I am particularly proud of is the creation of a flood resilience database for localities in San Mateo. The database outlines the alignment of local General Plans, Specific Plans, Stormwater Management Plants, Watershed Plans, Emergency Operations Plans, and Climate Action Plans (among others) with OneShoreline’s Policy Planning Guidance on climate change flood planning. This hands-on policy analysis experience helps the agency track flood policy progress, identify areas of strength and areas for growth, and fulfill the agency’s mission to provide cross-jurisdictional flood planning for sea level rise in San Mateo County.
Describe the benefits of this experience for you professionally and personally. Did your experience provide any unexpected discovery, self-reflection, or epiphany?
My time at OneShoreline was well balanced between moments of self-growth and moments that built my sense of self-agency. In terms of agency, this fellowship helped grow my sense of empowerment in the professional sphere. I realized that if you have an idea or want to pursue a subject or career path, the key is simply to speak up, commit, and put in the effort. That’s something I’m still learning to fully embrace, but this experience gave me a clearer sense of confidence in doing so.
In terms of growth, I quickly had to get up to speed on the dozens of acronyms used by flood planners on a daily basis (our “alphabet soup”), the project design process, and the surprising influence of private consultants on local public projects. I learned so much about the players and their importance in the development of a flood resilience project. However, the discovery-so-big-I-would-call-it-an-epiphany was clarifying my interests and strengths in the flood-planning field. There are many specific entry points in flood policy planning. At OneShoreline, I found myself drawn to the nitty-gritty policy analysis and development of plans for local areas that substantially consider rising seas and climate change-induced floods. I also found myself interested in the projects that combine habitat restoration and flood resilience. These projects can unite restoration and infrastructure funding for a better chance at making it to the implementation stage. In short, my time at OneShoreline helped me refine my interests and desired career path in the field.
What aspects of your summer experience revealed opportunities for growth or areas you hope to strengthen moving forward?
After self-reflection, one area of growth I identified was the disconnect between my professional voice and personal voice. I started the summer hoping to learn to navigate office culture, but throughout I had trouble deciding when to be casual and when to be more formal. The dynamic shifted greatly between different colleagues, which gave me whiplash and in the end, I did not unlock a professional voice that felt authentic to me. However, my fellowship raised this to my attention and I will keep workshopping it as my career continues. What I do know is that I want to work in an environment where I second-guess my words less, and where blending the personal and professional feels more natural than it did this summer.
Finally, my time at OneShoreline reinforced my interest in the flood planning field and affirmed my motivation to continue building the skills needed to contribute to this work. I was most engaged when analyzing flood policies and determining how they can be designed to advance climate resilience in ways that both balance community growth with climate realities and rectify systemic inequities along the coast. I see real potential in how thoughtful planning can leverage funding streams and the urgency of climate threats to create more just and durable outcomes for coastal California. Moving forward, I hope to strengthen my ability to navigate this complex system confidently and make myself an integral member of a team doing this work.
