Jacqueline Zavala graduated from the University of Texas- Brownsville with a baccalaureate in environmental science as well as a teaching certification. She is the first student to apply for the Marshall Scholarship from her university. She was an intern at the National Science Foundation for the summer of 2014. Her research interests include the analysis of policy and education and their effects on the interactions between humans and the environment. Her career goals include working with politicians to positively influence environmental governance and environmental education. She hopes to further her understanding of the environment at The University of East Anglia.