Savannah State University’s Jordan Rutland '18 will serve as a John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in Washington, D.C. The prestigious and highly competitive position will allow Rutland and other fellows to apply their ocean science and communication skills in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.

Rutland completed her master's thesis on “Life history indices of female common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in waters near Savannah, Georgia,” last spring in the SSU dolphin science lab with Tara Cox, Ph.D.

“The MSMS program at Savannah State demands a strong work ethic and stamina if you want to be successful,” Rutland said. “My faculty mentors pushed me farther and harder than I thought I could be pushed. After working in this dynamic environment I feel like I’m ready for anything that comes my way.”

Rutland is the third SSU student to serve as a fellow, following in the footsteps of Sanya Compton and Shelly Krueger.