Sierra is a PhD student advised by Dr. Mark Merrifield at Scripps Institution of Oceanography with interest in alongshore plume dynamics and the resulting propagation of low-salinity waters in the coastal ocean. A recipient of the NSF GRFP, Sierra plans to investigate the tie between river outflow and marine debris transport, possibly studying the fate of buoyant particles in a buoyant freshwater plume. Sierra received a BS in Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences from Scripps in 2021. After graduating, she worked with the Coastal Processes Group at Scripps as a field researcher assisting with field work operations and studying low salinity events measured at Scripps Pier over the past 105 years.