Wrightsville Beach Office Intern
Christina James
Christina is a Wilmington native and rising senior at UNC Wilmington, where she is pursuing a double major in Marine Biology and Economics. With a passion for connecting science and policy, Christina hopes to become an Environmental Specialist and ultimately a Fisheries Economist. She brings experience in environmental education through her work with Carolina Ocean Studies, where she led K–5 students in estuary explorations and coastal ecology lessons. Christina is also skilled in public communication, customer service, and data management, and is eager to contribute to community-based conservation efforts. When she’s not in the field or the classroom, she enjoys reading, watching movies, and spending time outdoors.
Wanchese Office Intern
Katalina Kokas
Katalina is a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pursuing a Master’s in Public Health, with a concentration in Environment, Climate, and Health. Katalina will be working with the coastal management team at the NC Coastal Federation in Wanchese. She is excited to learn from environmental advocates and contribute to the organization’s conservation initiatives. Growing up in the Bay Area of northern California, Katalina’s admiration for the coast and passion for the outdoors have been longstanding. With a Bachelor’s in Social Work, she has a unique approach to navigating the implications of environmental issues and will be integrating this knowledge with oyster restoration and living shoreline projects this summer.
Central Office Interns
Owen Bolden
Owen Bolden is an intern from the SECU Public Fellows Internship. He was born in Reidsville, North Carolina and graduated from Rockingham County High School in 2022. For approximately 2 years, Owen studied for an Associate’s in Arts degree with Rockingham Community College.
His aspirations lay with a career in music production. However, ECU’s Semester at the Coast Experience was offered to him in the spring of 2025 and he has pursued a Bachelor of Arts in Biology since. He studies Marine Biology and hopes of researching oysters and other bivalve organisms, seeking a positive impact for the environment– and hoping to land connections in the industry.
Ebwor Oliver
Ebwor Oliver is a civil servant with the Government of Uganda and currently a graduate student at Duke University, School of Public Policy, pursuing a Master’s in
International Development Policy (MIDP) – with a background in environmental management, he is focused on understanding the global policy frameworks that shape
international development. Ebwor is passionate about sustainability and committed to contributing to and learning from the NC Coastal Federations’ interdisciplinary programs
and approaches aimed at preserving the North Carolina coast and promoting effective, community-based environmental stewardship.