A Maryland native, Andrea Miralles-Barboza is a Venezuelan American who grew up in Miami, Florida. Having grown up in areas shaped by water and other natural resources, she became interested in human-natural systems and how environmental issues could be addressed by studying humans. She received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Policy in May 2018 at the University of Maryland where she was able to attend an environmental field school in New Zealand that emphasized the need to collaborate with local communities when doing environmental research. She is now back at the University of Maryland pursuing an M.S. in the Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences (MEES) program. She has also done work in environmental advocacy, consulting and lab research. Currently, she researches the social science of climate change displacement, looking at groups who are highly vulnerable to issues of climate change like sea level rise. In the future, she hopes to be able to contribute to developing accessible and appropriate climate change adaptation plans that consider not just environmental vulnerability, but social vulnerability as well. In her free time, she likes to spend time outdoors, cook, hike, sing and make tequeños.