Scholarship Recipients
Rollie Geppert, founder and one of the five scholarship review panel members, wishes to thank you for your generous donation to the Ecosystems Scholarship Fund. "Fund raising is hard work during these tough economic times but I am confident that you agree with me that investing in our youth who are pursuing college degrees in natural resources and land use is a wise and worthwhile effort. We continue to grow and additional donations are always welcome. This is a very exciting time for my family and me since these are the very first scholarships awarded since the fund was established in October 2010."
And the Recipients Are...
2023
Katherine (Kate) Lincoln
Hello! My name is Katherine (Kate) Lincoln: and I am a student at Western Washington University entering my fourth and final year before graduating in the Spring 2024. During my time at Western, I have worked toward dual degrees in Environmental Studies and Spanish, with a minor in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies through the Honors College. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, I moved to Washington during my second year of college and have studied in the wet western Washington environment since. In my life, I hope to synthesize my dual fields of knowledge and many passions to address the environmental needs of multicultural communities both stateside and abroad. In Summer 2022, I got an initial exposure applying both areas of focus during a Faculty-Led study abroad program to Ecuador. For a month, I, twenty other Honors students, two media officials, and three faculty explored the intricacies of geological and cultural diversity throughout the mainland and the Galapagos. Immediately after graduation, I hope to work with underrepresented communities both in Bellingham and the San Francisco Bay Area. Working as an environmental advocate, investigative environmentalist, and, or environmental justice worker, I hope to improve the environmental welfare and rights for communities in need. One-two years following graduation, I hope to serve as a member of the United States Peace Corps in a Spanish-Speaking country. Via their Environmental, Agricultural, or Youth Developmental sectors, I will work with communities abroad to better understand and address their environmental and social needs.
After serving in the Peace Corps, I hope to attend either or an in-state university in California to earn a master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling, Music Therapy, or Ethnomusicology. Beyond my scholastic and professional endeavors, I foster a strong passion for music and mental health advocacy. Sincerely, I love learning how music, nature, compassion, curiosity, and creativity can provide a wealth for healing in all forms. As part of my final year at WWU, I will formulate and present a months-long Honors Capstone project centering on the multi-faceted nature of healing and how these diverse paradigms come together to strengthen us individually and collectively.
Kiana Oos
Hello, my name is Kiana Oos, and I am a Junior at Western Washington University (WWU) majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Energy Science. Particularly, I am interested in the intersections between environmental, social, and economic systems and how these systems can be designed to create resilient and sustainable communities. While at WWU, I have maintained a 4.0 GPA, volunteered with Learning Action Environment and Discovery, and joined multiple clubs including Students for Renewable Energy and Women+ in Energy Mentoring Network. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to conduct research on the applications of anaerobic digestors for farming communities as an alternative waste-management system and renewable energy source. Through this project I hope to improve the lives of local farmers and promote circular economy principles. In the Spring of 2023, I studied sustainability and community development in Thailand and Vietnam. Here I learned about the local environmental and social issues and the unique asset-based solutions that communities have implemented. This experience pushed me outside of my comfort zone, professionally and personally, while also expanding my worldview by exposing me to a variety of new people, places, and ideas. I am currently using this newly acquired knowledge in a fellowship program I will complete this Summer. Through this program, I am working as a sustainability consultant for a non-profit located in Twisp, Washington focused on cultural and economic vitality and its relation to environmental stewardship. When I’m not busy with school or work, I enjoy hiking, swimming, skiing, playing soccer, and spending time with friends, family, and my three dogs. While the inevitable change that comes with solving the climate crisis is scary, I believe it is also reason to have hope. My generation has the unique opportunity to redesign our current systems to better serve both the environment and the people living within it. This scholarship will allow me to continue this pursuit while significantly reducing the financial pressures that come with getting a post-secondary education. I am so grateful to the Ecosystems Scholarship Fund for their generous support and inspired by their commitment to advance education around this critical topic. Thank you!
2022
Gabrielle Lund
Gabrielle Lund is a first-generation college student and a senior at Washington State University (WSU)
earning degrees in Environmental Science and Political Science. Her goal is to pursue a career in the
“people-side” of environmental policy, conservation, and climate change mitigation with hopes of
working in environmental policy and management for the federal or state government, or in
environmental advocacy and outreach with a nonprofit. Specifically she will use her leadership and
communication skills (as well as knowledge of environmental processes) developed over the past four
years to bridge the disconnect between science and the public to prompt meaningful change. Her most
relevant experiences in natural resource sciences have been: 1) an internship for WSU Sustainability, 2)
legislative work as an ASWSU Senator, 3) volunteer work with the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement
Group (HCSEG), and 4) research in a marine ecophysiology lab. With HCSEG, she volunteered during
Summer 2021 to assist interns in daily checks of rotary screw traps for steelhead research projects to
improve/restore salmon populations in the Puget Sound. Gabrielle identified and sorted hundreds of
smolts by species to determine species abundance, recorded data pertaining to steelhead length, weight,
recapture status, and presence of key identifying features, and assisted interns in tissue/scale sampling to
determine genetic and age analysis. Additionally she worked at the WSU Dowd marine ecophysiology
lab and conducted research in conjunction with a post-doctoral researcher to correlate copepod weight to
length, as well as cleaning equipment and providing animal care to the copepod populations. On campus
she worked on improving environmental sustainability. In collaboration with Pullman 2040, (a long-term
community policy initiative with Pullman City Council), she helped design a water conservation
awareness campaign to improve water usage and retention on- and off- campus for Earth Week. She also
has been assisting in educational events with our Environmental Sustainability Alliance (ESA)
subcommittee.
Kaitlyn Glover
Kailyn Glover is a junior at Washington State University (WSU) Vancouver majoring in biology
and pursuing a certificate in Quantitative Biology. Her career aspirations are to attain a master’s
degree and then work in conservation as a researcher, for a nonprofit, or for a government
agency. She is interested in the intersections between conservation biology, entomology,
ecology, and mathematics. She has a lifelong passion and interest in caring for nature and its
inhabitants and believes that the most effective kind of resource management and conservation
efforts are informed by scientific research, and that they are the product of collaborative efforts
spanning multiple agencies and partners. In the spring of 2021, she received her AA/DTA in
biology from Clark College with high honors. Kaitlyn was drawn to WSU because of its
environmental research in a smaller college. Since August of 2021, she has been working with
Dr. Cheryl Schultz’s Conservation Biology Lab and research group. During that summer, she
volunteered at Cape Perpetua to assist in their mark-recapture study on the threatened Oregon
silver-spot butterfly led by Dr. Erica Henry, a postdoc in Dr. Schultz’s lab. In October 2021, she
was hired as a technical assistant and has been assisting with research projects, writing academic
papers, field work, lab equipment maintenance and organization, data entry, and any other
needed tasks. In the fall she helped conduct adaptive capacity (AC) assessments for the Western
Monarch and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies to better inform current conservation efforts. From
January of 2022 to present she has been assessing the connections between phenology and
abundance for 30+ at-risk U.S. butterfly species. This included building “Story Maps” which tell
the conservation story of 31 species using ArcGis . In the summer of 2022, she is a full-time field
technician for an expanded study of the Oregon silver-spot. Her favorite class has been ecology,
where she is learning about the interactions between species, defining characteristics of
environments, ecological mathematical models, and conservation issues. Additionally, she
enjoys playing music, exploring nature, crafting, spending time with her two parrots, and
working on a self-paced therapeutic musician program offered by Harp for Healing LLC. Once
completed, she will be certified to play her harp in medical settings for hospice and hospital
patients.
2021
Keith Johnson
Hello, my name is Keith Johnson and I’m from Neah Bay which is a Native American
Reservation located at the most Northwest tip of Washington. I’m currently attending
Washington State University going into my junior year pursuing a bachelor’s degree in forestry,
as well as a minor in wildlife ecology. I first got an interest in environmental sciences when I
worked for the Makah Tribe’s forestry department for a summer job during my junior year of
high school which was in 2018. I fell in love with some of the work that we would do. This
includes taking out invasive weed species around the town, checking otter latrines, checking
fisher stations, and learning more about the environment in general. Hopefully when I receive
my degree in forestry, I’ll come back to Neah Bay and continue to work for the Makah Tribe’s
forestry department. Since I haven’t really had the opportunity to work a full-time job in
forestry, I’m excited to see what other kind of work that I’ll be doing in the future. Hopefully,
some work restoring forests or doing controlled burning because that’s what I’m most interested
in right now. Thank you for choosing me to be a recipient of the Ecosystems Scholarship!
Jessica Espy
Curiosity around ecosystems and the environment has been an important part of my life.
Understanding the material world around me was always something I wanted to pursue, and I
feel grateful that I have the good fortune to study this science!
While environmental science offers so many diverse and interesting areas of exploration, I am
focusing on agriculture and food systems work. After graduation, I plan to work in local
extension centers to support sustainable farming methods. My goal is to find ways to make the
transition to regenerative practices less costly and unpredictable for farmers. I am hoping to
incorporate pedology, water quality research, and the history of environmental disturbances into
my work so I can work with farmers and community members in a way that allows deeper
investigation.
Since transferring to WWU, I have worked with a small farm in Bellingham, learning the basics
of farming and CSA operation. I took a position at the Mt Vernon Research and Extension Center
in the Soils Lab which gave me hands-on experience in soil sampling and analysis. There are so
many opportunities for Environmental Science majors. I feel incredibly excited and hopeful
about my future after graduation, and I believe there are many areas of work that will create
meaningful and lasting impacts.
Anna Gilmore
I grew up on the California coast, a mere five-minute walk from both a beach and a large open
preserve for monarch butterflies. I spent much of my childhood wandering these “bluffs,” as my
family endearingly calls the preserve, which sparked my desire to conserve such spaces for
generations to come. I entered the University of Washington knowing that I wanted to study the
environment and pursue the field with the curiosity and enthusiasm that the bluffs had sparked in
me so long ago. Now, as a rising senior at UW, I have discovered my true passion within
environmental science: working with native plant species doing ecological restoration,
propagation, and rare native plant conservation. I love that ecological restoration is an extremely
interdisciplinary, hope-filled niche of environmental science, when so often the field can become
depressing and full of discovering problems rather than taking actions to solve them. Because in
my career I want to implement solutions rather than simply point out problems, I want to become
a restoration practitioner. I have been pursuing my interests through working at a native plant
nursery, volunteering and creating a StoryMap on rare plants in Washington for the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and field work at forestry sites. This summer I am fortunate to have an
internship researching plant communities’ responses to climate change at Mt. Rainier National
Park to further understand ecological restoration’s potential role in facilitating climate change
resilience for the future. I am very grateful to the Ecosystem Scholarship Fund for helping to
finance my final year of education, so that I can enter the post-scholastic world prepared to
tackle the challenges that climate change, development, and resource overuse throw at us.
2020
Alyssa Ryser
For the entirety of my high school career, I volunteered for the Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ). Over my last two summers in high school, I received the incredible opportunity to intern at the WPZ, where I worked more than 30 hours a week in their Ambassador Animal Unit. I love training animals that act as ambassadors for their species and I love the impact we were making on the world: inspiring empathy through guest interaction and motivating people to take action for the environment. Because of my dedication to working with animals, I continued my path this last summer at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium (PDZA) in their ambassador animal unit with a 40 hours per week unpaid internship. The picture shown is me working with PDZA’s two ambassador opossum sisters, Pearl and Opal. My 1000+ hours of service at the WPZ and PDZA combined lit a burning flame of passion for wildlife and complex conservation issues within me. When I arrived on the University of Washington (UW) Seattle campus two years ago, I knew exactly the path I needed to take. I am currently a junior at UW pursuing a career in Environmental Sciences and Resource Management with an emphasis on Wildlife Conservation in an effort to tackle conservation issues and the many other environmental problems I learned about in my time at the WPZ and PDZA. I want to carry forward their inspiring messaging into my future and spread it to those around me, motivating others to take action for the good of our world. Due to the circumstances surrounding COVID-19, I was unable to take an internship this summer, but next summer I will hopefully be continuing my work as an unpaid intern for San Diego Zoo! This scholarship motivates me to look forward, achieve my goals, and find success, especially as I enter my senior year at UW. For that, I thank you!
Sally Vaux
My favorite "playgrounds" as a child were the rocky beaches of Fidalgo Island and the expansive and dense Anacortes Community Forest Lands. It was there where my curiosity and passion for the environment sparked and has since grown. My path since high school has led to multiple states and transcripts from three different universities, to mountain peaks and bottoms of slot canyons, to libraries and labs and lecture halls. Along the way, it has become clear to me that we need collaborative folks from all backgrounds, industries, and fields to seek out innovative and creative approaches to problem solving and advocating for our environment. I hope to be one of these people. I am currently heading into my fourth and final year of my undergraduate degree at Western Washington University, pursuing a BS in Environmental Science with a minor in English. In the future, I plan to attend graduate school to continue studying climate science, specifically the impacts of climate change on polar and mountainous regions. I am drawn to these extreme environments because of how fast they are changing, and there is a dire need to interpret and communicate what these changes will mean for the entire globe. This is the core of my career goals: to learn and to share, to understand and to support.
I would like to sincerely thank all of the individuals who are involved with the Ecosystems Scholarship Fund. This award will be instrumental in allowing me to finish my undergraduate degree with significantly less financial pressure than I have been under previously. I promise to take the opportunity that you have provided me and pay it forward. Thank you for your support of my dreams for our collective future.
2019
Carly Tryon
Growing up in the shadow of Mt. Rainier, I feel extremely fortunate to have been raised with a deep connection, respect and appreciation for the natural world. Here, I observed a sort of paradox in how ecosystems tick; a complexity within the simplicity, and conversely a simplicity within the complexity. I developed a deep fascination for this paradox, thus leading me to a career in environmental science. I am currently completing my BS in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Freshwater and Terrestrial Ecology at Western Washington University with plans to further my education through a Master’s or doctorate degree once I narrow my field of interest. Upon completion of my degree in spring of 2020, I intend to travel the country working seasonal positions in field conservation, wildfire ecology research, and wildlife biology research before I choose my career. Whatever it may be, I know that I want to spend my life working to better preserve the wild places that mean so much to me. Receiving this award is a huge honor and relief as I enter my final year of my undergraduate education. With the support of this scholarship, I may be able to complete my degree without the burden of student loans, better preparing me for a stable and independent future, for which I am so grateful. Thank you so much for both your years of work in the field and in founding this scholarship fund.
2018
Antonio Chaparro
Growing up in the Midwest, I moved to Washington in the fall of 2015 to further my education in the environmental/biological field. As soon as I arrived, I fell for the Pacific Northwest. Surrounded by hundred-foot-tall trees and living under the watchful eye of Mount Rainier was both humbling and awe-inspiring. It was these feelings that led me to dedicate my education and career to studying these stunning and intricate ecosystems, with the hopes to one day live mutualistically among them. This scholarship will greatly alleviate the financial burden that comes with higher education, and allow me the opportunity to continue my research and work toward these goals. I believe that to properly manage our forests we have to first understand the complex interconnections within the ecosystem itself. My interest lies in understanding these dynamic relationships with the hopes of developing more sustainable management practices, and evaluate the impact we have on our natural systems. I am currently attending the University of Washington in Seattle where I’m seeking a double major in Environmental Science & Resource Management and Molecular/Cellular Biology. My ultimate goal is to use the knowledge and experience I’ve gained in both of these programs to conduct research at the cellular and development scale, and apply it to larger systems i.e. forests. Once finishing my undergrad, I hope to attend graduate school and continue researching specific developmental processes in plants.
Hilary Zuniga
I was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco in México and lived there for six years where my family had to deal with drug violence and cartels until my family ran away to the United States. Being a first-generation student not only as an undergraduate but as well as in post-elementary education, with resilient and intellectual relatives, have made me who I am today. These experiences have fueled my love for education and my dedication to making a difference in my field. The atmosphere in which I was raised, both positive and negative, has made me value my future, education, and the opportunities that I have in front of me like the most precious jewels one can work for. My dedication to my academics and to make a difference in the world is not only a dream or a goal, it’s my reality because I know I can do it. I am currently a McNair scholar at Washington State University working towards a dual degree in Environmental and Ecosystem Sciences and Philosophy with minors in Sustainable Development and Ethics. I hope to pursue a graduate school in my journey in developing skills sets to help developing nations achieve smart sustainable development and work for the Gates Foundation and eventually the United Nations.
2017
Madeline Remmen
I believe that the oceans are one of earth’s most valuable natural resources. I want to help affect change in the way that policies are created and implemented, specifically regarding fishery practices and the protection of marine mammals. Currently, I am attending Western Washington University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy and a minor in Geology, after graduating I plan to attend law school to pursue a career as an Environmental Lawyer.
2016
I come from a family of four boys and one girl. My parents fled their native country, Rwanda in 1994 because of genocide. They were forced to seek refuge in the neighboring country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, where I was born. Everything was in deep turmoil when I was brought into this world. After a three year struggle since my birth, my parents attempted to begin a new life by eventually moving to the Republic of Congo in 1997.
It was early in my journey, growing up in Congo, that my parents taught me that education is the only way to succeed and accomplish what one believes in. I worked hard during my early days at school and consistently followed my parents’ advice to take the path with serenity, love, and perseverance. This has taught me to focus on a path that could eventually lead me to success and make me my family happy.
In 2005, I was faced with a tragic situation I could not fix. My parents decided to divorce, aggravating the sorrow on top of dealing with the horrors of genocide in Rwanda that my parents fled from. Despite this tragedy, my mother continued to support all of her five children to achieve their dreams. It was then that I made a promise to her: "I will do my very best to achieve your dream, and my dream, to be someone and make you happy."
Seeing the vast opportunities that lie ahead of me in the field of environmental science can be exciting. Being in my first year of college, it has already allowed me to continue to acquire and share my knowledge and experience. I could sense the humanity of the academic community, as if it were a parent, nurturing his child in a scholarly way. Right now, I am that child determined to pursue a dream in spite of multiple past challenges, persevering in seeking ways to better my life and the world around me.
As I continue my journey of transformation, I want to contribute to the transformation of the world by addressing environmental and water conservation issues. I remember back in Republic of Congo getting up early in the morning and walking approximately three to four miles in order to get water to supply our family’s basic needs. My older brother Lionel and I had to do this labor almost every other day. These experiences have shaped and inspired me in various ways. I know what it means to work hard. I have experienced what it means to be challenged, as I carry on with a "warrior spirit" instilled in me by my elders. I also know how it feels to be humbled, to be grateful to those who have provided me the strength, the will and the knowledge to persist. There is so much to benefit from the Ecosystems Scholarship I see the promise I made to my mother, coming to fruition. Finally, this experience will allow me to come up with ideas in environmental science which will contribute to a better environment, promoting a better life for the present and for future generations.
Elizabeth Warren
As a student in high school, I was very interested in environmental studies as well as agriculture. Today, I am pursuing an Agricultural Education degree through the Honors College at Washington State University, as well as a minor in Spanish.
I hope to use my degree to obtain a position as a high school teacher. I would like to teach topics ranging from environmental science to horticulture to animal science. At the surface, there does not seem to be much of a connection between agricultural sciences and ecosystems, however, the last few years of my education have taught me differently.
The practices of farming and ranching affect ecosystems in many different ways. From manure runoff to the elimination of natural habitats, agriculture and natural ecosystems go hand in hand. In a world striving for “greener” solutions to everyday problems and the increasing demand to feed a growing population, change in one system results in change in another. With my position as a high school educator, I hope to educate students on sustainability practices. I want to encourage students to become active in the systems that surround them through hands-on activities and by connecting students to scientists and farmers alike.
Being an agriculture advocate is not limited to supporting agriculture; it involves building up and supporting other concepts, ideas, and processes needed to keep agriculture in place. The development of new technologies lays in the hands of the future generations- the students I will work with on a daily basis. Change is the result of thinking differently than those before, and working with students will provide me the opportunity to shift thinking from having to feed the world to having to feed the world in a sustainable manner. What use is there in feeding the population efficiently now if we cannot guarantee the success of future generations?
I hope to serve as an advocate for agriculture as well as the natural environment that lies beyond farm fences. I aspire to demonstrate for my students that there is more to agriculture than cows, sows, and plows. My goal is for students to leave my class having gained information about the world we live in, the interdependency that surrounds us all, and the many opportunities they have to get involved in the world they live in and to preserve that world for those to come.
2014
Sydney Schlotterback was born and raised in Bellingham, but spent the first five years of her life living inside Grand Teton National Park. She was exposed to the environment at its finest from a young age and was raised with a deep rooted land ethic by her wildlife biologist dad and water conservationist mom. She became interested in food security during high school and began pursuing related studies when she started college. She is 22 years old, a senior at Western Washington University and is working towards a BA degree with a double major in environmental policy and environmental education. She will use her degree to combine outreach through education and social change through policy in order to address food security. She has volunteered and worked on organic farms in WA and NY as part of the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). Her goals are to work for the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization and to continue traveling, backpacking, climbing, canoeing, working and playing outdoors.
Sydney says, "Thank you so much for your incredible generosity and support. Your contribution to my education illustrates just how dedicated you are to encouraging environmental learning and providing financial aid to those pursing a deeper understanding of the natural world. This award of the Ecosystems Scholarship is greatly appreciated and will always be remembered. Thank you again for the great honor."
2013
2012
