Ms. Kirsten Vernin graduated from Texas A&M University in 2013 with a B.S. degree in zoology.

Her goal is to one day work as an environmental consultant. Ms. Vernin's primary interests are in biodiversity, surface water quality, wetland health, pollution mitigation, endangered species surveys, habitat restoration, and environmental sustainability. To gain more experience in these areas, she enrolled in the Environmental Analysis graduate program at Rice University.

During her first year at Rice, she completed an internship with Memorial Park Conservancy during which she assessed the current mammal diversity present within the park using game cameras. She also helped develop a protocol for Memorial Park staff to continue to monitor mammal diversity over time using the game cameras. She is currently working as the Program Manager for a new nonprofit conservation organization called the Texas Coastal Exchange, which is dedicated to supporting the long-term resilience of the Texas coast by working with coastal landowners to conserve and protect coastal marshes, prairies, and bottomland hardwood forests and by creating value for the benefits that these ecosystems provide to us all.