Brijonnay is originally from Everett, Washington. When she was in high school, she was a student at the Ocean Research College Academy (ORCA) where she had the opportunity to do hands-on science on monthly research cruises in Possession Sound. She attributes her desire to pursue science in college on her ORCA experience so she realizes the importance of science experiences in high school. She attended the University of Hawaiʽi at Mānoa for undergraduate study where she double majored in Marine Biology and Communication. As an undergraduate, she was very involved in marine mammal bioacoustics, and the incredible research and internship opportunities she participated in inspired her to continue pursuing higher education. She then went to Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California where she received her M.Sc. degree in Marine Science and studied killer whale acoustics. She is currently a third-year Ph.D. student at the MMRP at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. For her dissertation work, she is studying short-finned pilot whale and false killer whale spatial and temporal variability in the Hawaiian Archipelago using passive acoustic monitoring and the potential effects of anthropogenic noise on their acoustic behavior. Brijonnay is Mexican American and her Ph.D. is funded through the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship program which supports minority women in STEM. Brijonnay was previously the Volunteer Coordinator at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center where she served as an educator for K-12 field trips and taught students and docents about the sanctuary. She developed a K-12 program called “Listen Up!” where she went into classrooms and taught students about marine mammals, sounds in the ocean, and the importance of conservation. Brijonnay continues to be invested in inspiring student to pursue STEM through marine mammal education. When Brijonnay is not eavesdropping on whales, she enjoys long runs, spending time at the beach, and being on a boat when she can!