Corina Newsome
The Wildlife Conservationist Who Uses Birds to Connect People
Portrait of Corina Newsome adapted from a photo by Okwa Andrew.
Corina Newsome served as the Community Engagement Manager at Georgia Audubon until 2022. She is now an Associate Conservation Scientist at the National Wildlife Federation. She has been a zoologist and a lab instructor at Georgia Southern University. She has also written articles for Audubon magazine and BBC Wildlife. Corina was also featured on NPR, PBS Nature, The Weather Channel, Black Entertainment Television, and in publications such as Science magazine, The New Yorker, New York magazine, and The Washington Post. Corina also co-organized the inaugural #BlackBirdersWeek and in 2018 she began conducting research and uncovered patterns that aided efforts to conserve the MacGillivray’s seaside sparrow.
Portrait of Corina Newsome and her spark bird, the Blue Jay. Illustrated by Daniel J. Middleton.
Corina Newsome was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 3, 1993. At the age of four, Corina wrote herself a note: “When I grow up, I want to be a scientist on bugs and animals.” She consumed nature documentaries and followed the adventures of science communicators such as Steve Irwin. Corina’s family nurtured her passion for wildlife by having her devour the National Geographic magazines and science books in their collection. Corina learned as much as possible about various species in the world. But because she had no connection to anyone working in wildlife, she concluded that becoming a veterinarian was the only path to fulfilling her passion.
A visit to the Philadelphia Zoo changed everything. A friend at church recognized Corina’s interest in wildlife and told her to visit the zoo where his sister, Michelle Jamison, worked as a zookeeper. Corina called Michelle and arranged for a visit. Michelle immediately took Corina under her wing. Corina recalled:
The moment that I saw her, I never even considered working with animals in conservation. I didn’t even know what that looked like, let alone including someone who looked like me. The window was open and I could suddenly see the possibilities.”
Corina Newsome with a Eurasian Eagle Owl.
Corina admitted that Michelle caused her passion for wildlife to turn into a career. Corina received homeschooling up to fourth grade, then attended a charter school and middle school in Philadelphia. For ninth grade, her mother secured a scholarship that allowed Corina to attend Baldwin, an all-girl private school in a Philadelphia suburb called Bryn Mawr. The high school included academic rigor that not only prepared Corina for college but which she also applied to her later workflow. Corina left Pennsylvania to attend Malone University in northeast Ohio, where she majored in zoo and wildlife biology.
After receiving her bachelor’s, Corina entered the workforce as a zookeeper, where she worked with over one hundred species of animals, many of which were birds. After three and a half years, she went back to school to obtain her master’s. She graduated from Georgia Southern University in 2021 with a Master of Science in Biology degree. Her focus was ornithology or the study of birds. Today, Corina presents people with opportunities to contribute to bird conservation through direct participation. Her focus has been on communities filled with people who have been excluded from conservation efforts, mainly blacks and people of color.
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This article appears in 12 Modern Black Birders.
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Alex Troutman is a wildlife biologist and birder who has worked with endangered species and encourages future generations to pursue a career in biology.