I’m Dennis Jongsomjit!
Find people that inspire you and work with them if possible. Keep seeking these people and build relationships. This will almost always lead to better things.
I am a masters student at San Francisco State University and a GIS Specialist at Point Blue Conservation Science. My current work is focused on studying if and how much migrating Adélie Penguins in the Ross Sea, Antarctica depend on ocean current and wind driven sea ice movement to help them travel great distances. Understanding penguin dependence on sea ice will help us more effectively protect areas that are important for their migration and better understand how climate change will impact their ability to survive.
I decided to go back to school after working professionally for several years. I had learned a lot on the job, but I wanted to throw myself back into an environment where I could focus solely on learning.
I grew up in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles with Thai and Guatemalan parents. I was surrounded by tons of different cultures and trying to figure out where I fit in all this diversity played a big role in shaping me personally. I often felt out of place. In some ways, focusing on ecology and working outdoors has been a sort of escape for me - a refuge from these feelings of alienation.
Travelling to Antarctica was definitely an escape - I got as far away from civilization as possible. But being in Antarctica and studying the wildlife there has made it clear that there is no escaping humanity’s fingerprints on any ecosystem. What we do as humans has truly global implications, even for one of the least accessible places on earth.
My urban upbringing inspired me to try to protect the natural environment from sprawling cities and pavement.
Everyone and everything deserves access to clean air, food, and water as well as access to outdoor green spaces.
My urban upbringing inspired me to try to protect the natural environment from sprawling cities and pavement. And I’m also motivated by the injustices we’ve seen for decades in urban and underserved communities. Everyone and everything deserves access to clean air, food, and water as well as access to outdoor green spaces. More recently I’m inspired by the increasing diversity of young people coming into the field of science and Polar Impact is an organization I get inspiration from.
I currently live in Sonoma County, California. For several years I worked studying songbirds and now they are an integral part of my life. Wherever I go I bring a pair of binoculars with me. Birds are my favorite therapists whenever I need a time out from work or school.
My parents and brothers still live in Los Angeles. They are urban to the core and thus have their own list of struggles, needs, inspiration, and wants. I talk to them about my work and about why I think it’s important, but I respect the fact that they have other more pressing things to deal with on a day to day basis. This is part of why environmental justice is so important. If everyone has their basic needs met then they will have more time and energy to help heal other parts of the planet.
Wherever I go I bring a pair of binoculars with me.
Birds are my favorite therapists whenever I need a time out from work or school.
I had never thought about Antarctica much until after I graduated from college. Like many, I just saw it as a very cold and distant place. But meeting other Antarctic researchers and reading about their work I immediately knew I wanted to see this unique, beautiful, and fragile ecosystem myself. I knew I could learn a lot from studying it and I wanted to contribute whatever I could to help understand and protect it.
I still vividly remember the first time I stepped onto the Ross Ice shelf - the slippery cerulean blue ice ridges and gullies interspersed with the pure white ice was visually mesmerizing. I felt like I had stepped onto a different planet. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.
My advice to others is to explore options and try different things - then move forward with what feels good and where you find motivation. Also, find people that inspire you and work with them if possible. Keep seeking these people and build relationships. This will almost always lead to better things. And most importantly, pass your motivation and inspiration on to others by sharing your knowledge and passion.
