The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore (GCES) awards an annual merit-based scholarship to a graduating senior who attends school in Talbot County or who is home schooled. The award is given to a senior who expects to major in horticulture, landscape architecture or design, botany, environmental science, agriculture or a related field in college. Outstanding academic achievement along with volunteer or work experience, which shows a strong work ethic and a commitment to excellence, are considered.
The scholarship committee received 11 applications this year and, after interviewing 5 outstanding students, is happy to announce that the winner of a $6,000 scholarship is Easton High School graduating senior Allyson Mueller. Allyson was interviewed by four of the scholarship committee members and they were struck by her focus and dedication to studying marine life, especially with concerns in protecting sharks.
According to her former Agriscience teacher, Ernest Burns, “Ally is the consummate student. She settles for nothing but top grades and works tirelessly to achieve them. She posses the entire package of brains, hard work, and character that we all admire.”
Photo: GCES members Lin Clineburg (left) and Maury Schneider were excited to present the $6,000 merit scholarship to Easton High School graduate Allyson Mueller, who will be studying Marine Biology at UNCW in the fall.
Ally will be attending the University of North Carolina, Wilmington in the fall as part of the Marine Biology program. She mentions that growing up on the Eastern Shore in a family involved in agriculture, she has always been interested in the Chesapeake Bay and the environment. Ally hopes to find new and effective ways for the fishing industry to continue their practices while removing the damaging effects on sharks and many marine species. Her end goal is to obtain a master’s degree and work on a research boat tracking shark populations, migration patterns, and behavior.
Allyson has been an intern at Phillips Wharf Environmental Center and will continue to work there this summer as an employee studying the growth of oyster spat in different locations on the Bay, and she will assist in the running of the Fishmobile Program taking the bus to many locations in the area and sharing information about marine life. Ally says, “A big goal of mine is to be able to speak on an episode of Shark Week!”
The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore feels certain that Allyson will achieve all of her goals and is pleased to award this year’s scholarship to her.
For more information or to make a contribution to the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore scholarship fund, write to GCES, P.O. Box 1924, Easton, MD, 21601.
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