Environmental Science Scholarships
The 2022 PAEP Scholarship recipients have been selected. Congratulations to Molly Hoffman and Megan Kownurko, this year’s winners!
Molly Hoffman wins the 2022 PAEP Gifford Pinchot Scholarship!
Molly is currently enrolled at Gettysburg University with a 4.06 GPA, triple-majoring in Environmental Studies, Public Policy, and Spanish. Molly is a member of the Climate Change Committee on DCNR’s Next Gen Council, which advises the Department on diversity, equity, and inclusion in state parks. She is a volunteer in the Gettysburg community, growing vegetables for local families, teaching English as a second language, and tutoring 5th grade students. Molly is actively involved in musicals and concert choir and continues to volunteer with her hometown Girl Scout Troop.
Throughout her high school career and now in college, Molly has held a variety of leadership positions, winning many awards for her hard work, including most recently the Myra T. Herron Award and Eisenhower Scholar. As a program coordinator at Gettysburg College’s Center for Public Service, Molly organizes college volunteers for environmental initiatives, such as environmental education and tree plantings. This summer, she is interning with the Land Conservancy of Adams County, assisting with their land easement work, and completing an externship with the Energy Association of PA, researching net metering policies around the country. Molly hopes to continue her environmental work outside the classroom by joining the Environmental Studies Advisory Committee, leading an immersion project on environmental issues in Latin America, being a Peer Learning Associate for the introductory classes, pursuing a senior honors thesis, and working as a research assistant with a professor.
She is considering joining the Peace Corps after graduation and then possibly entering law school or working in the environmental policy sector focusing on public land conservation policy at the State or Federal level. Molly’s ultimate career goal is to become the US Secretary of the Interior and advocate for our nation’s first comprehensive climate change legislation.
Megan Kownurko wins the 2022 PAEP Maurice Goddard Scholarship!
Megan attends Pennsylvania State University. She is majoring in Environmental Resource Management (ERM) with a 3.58 GPA. In addition to playing the piccolo in the Penn State Volleyball and Basketball Pep Band, Megan is part of the Penn State Soil Judging Team, where she uses her knowledge of soil to accurately determine morphological features found throughout the soil profile and help her team compete against other universities. She is also a part of the ERM Society, where she participates in regular discussions of environmental and professional topics while helping to build a community within her major. Megan volunteers at her local environmental center, Shaver’s Creek, where she helps with programs like the annual Maple Harvest Festival, serving as a nature interpreter.
At Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center Megan was appointed as a Learning Group Leader for the Outdoor School where she teaches fifth graders about various environmental topics in a residential camp setting and trains other college students to become Outdoor School counselors. She is also a Soils 102 Teaching Assistant and Soils 101 World Campus Grader in the ERM Department. Megan will be presenting a research poster at the National Tri-Societies conference for The American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America. She works as a research assistant for a Biogeochemistry lab group, assisting with various graduate-level research projects, including a 10-year cover crop research project. In addition, she is currently a Resource Conservation Intern for the Centre County Conservation District and working for Penn State World Campus as a Soils 101 Teaching Assistant.
Megan’s future plans evolve from her passion for soils and include obtaining a position with a Conservation District performing conservation and outreach to local communities, agricultural stewardship, and outdoor education.
Thank you to all of the very qualified applicants! You should be very proud of your accomplishments.
Also, thank you to the PAEP Student & Scholarship Committee for your hard work and support…Virginia Bailey, Jessica Brzyski, Michelle Goddard, JT Graupensperger, Jason Minnich, and Angela Schreffler!
Finally, just a reminder that we will be holding a silent auction to raise money for our Scholarship Fund at the Annual Conference this October. Please consider donating a themed basket of your choosing to the auction. Your past donations have allowed us to provide these worthwhile scholarships to support the education of our up-and-coming environmental professionals and we look forward to your continued support during this year’s conference.
Student & Scholarship Co-Chairs:
Kristin Aiosa
Mike Kenawell