2023 Scholarship Recipient
KariAnne Leck
My Name is KariAnne Leck and I am honored to be receiving the 2023 NJACD Memorial Conservation Scholarship. I want to thank NJACD and the Scholarship Review Committee for aiding my future and education in forest and environmental conservation. Like all of us, I am working towards making this world a better place, one step at a time. I devote my efforts to conserving our forests, soil ecology, and natural resources for our current and future generations.
KariAnne Leck
2023 Memorial Conservation Scholarship recipient
2023 Memorial Conservation Scholarship recipient
While attending Rutgers University, I am studying Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources with a focus on Forest Ecology. With roots planted in Jersey, I have seen with so much gentrification comes the sacrifice of our forests and I have always had a dream of being the one who changes this process for the better. To achieve this, I have been studying multiple layers of our environment and ecology of the region to better understand the underlying ecosystems. I have worked this previous summer as a Watershed Steward for the New Jersey Water Authority and focused on invasive species in the waterway and their influence on the surrounding ecology of forest structure from these invasive species. While also a part of Rutgers forestry club, I was able to attend the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) seminar this year and discuss possible projects and thesis opportunities with local arborists in how aquatic invasive species can alter the water quality along river systems affecting soil topology for forest systems.
This summer, I plan to assist the landscape and design team of the Monmouth County Park Systems in plot studies and tree inventorying. This program is important in mapping land development within the parks and instructs which plots of land can be planted with new foliage species or invasive trees may need reducing to limit insect abundance. I am extremely thankful for this scholarship as it will help further my education in part from my financial situation. I am sincerely thankful to NJACD for all of their work, and their important contributions to conserving our natural resources and bettering our future world for generations to come!
This summer, I plan to assist the landscape and design team of the Monmouth County Park Systems in plot studies and tree inventorying. This program is important in mapping land development within the parks and instructs which plots of land can be planted with new foliage species or invasive trees may need reducing to limit insect abundance. I am extremely thankful for this scholarship as it will help further my education in part from my financial situation. I am sincerely thankful to NJACD for all of their work, and their important contributions to conserving our natural resources and bettering our future world for generations to come!
2022 Scholarship Recipient
Cristina Czochanski
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I am honored to receive the 2022 NJACD Memorial Conservation Scholarship. Thank you to the Scholarship Review Committee and NJACD for supporting my education and future career in environmental conservation work. I am dedicated to conserving our oceans, soil, and natural resources for future generations in the face of climate change.
At the University of Maryland, I study Environmental Science and Policy with a concentration in Marine and Coastal Management and a minor in Meteorology. Growing up in New Jersey, I have a strong love for the ocean. I have been the President of an ocean conservation club at my university, Sustainable Ocean Alliance, where I organize weekly educational events and litter clean-ups. Additionally, I work to share my love for the outdoors as an Outdoor Trip Leader and as a Project Assistant for Sustainable Maryland, a community sustainability certification modeled off Sustainable Jersey which I previously worked with at the NJDEP. This summer, I am interning for DAWN, the Dashboard for Agricultural Water Use and Nutrient Management, with the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA. I am researching climate change risks to freshwater wetlands and riparian zones in agricultural areas. I am grateful for this scholarship as it will substantially help my financial situation during my last year of college. Thank you to NJACD for all the work you do to conserve our natural resources and our home. |
Cristina Czochanski
2022 Memorial Conservation Scholarship recipient |
2021 Scholarship Recipient
Zachary A. Zentz
2021 Memorial Conservation Scholarship RecipientZachary A. Zentz in the New Jersey Pine Barrens
My name is Zachary Zentz, and I am elated to accept the 2021 NJACD Memorial Conservation Scholarship. I would like to thank the Scholarship Review Committee for their decision and the NJACD for establishing a scholarship to support talented students in achieving their dreams of education and conservation, a passion rooted deep inside me for as long as I can remember. This scholarship has eased the burden of funding my education, which in turn will embolden my pursuits both in and out of the classroom.
This summer, I am part of a team at Rutgers University researching the mechanisms behind the striking blue patterns found on the Eastern Fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Performing research like this has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I could not be more thankful for the opportunities I have been afforded from NJACD, Rutgers and my family and friends. Exploring the woods while catching and releasing lizards has also reinvigorated my dedication to the conservation and preservation of the Pine Barrens, which I have witnessed shrinking from deforestation. I have also been working as part of the COVID-19 Community Corps, helping New Jersey residents sign up for vaccinations to achieve herd immunity, a key step in bringing everyone back together as a community.
My major, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources has been a mixed bag of exciting fun, and exhausting work, but I would not have it any other way. This fall will mark the first time I attend university in-person, rather than through virtual meetings. Though the thought once brought me fear, now that I have seen the scope of my own abilities, I am confident that next year is going to be something special, and I will make a mark wherever I go. I hope you also trust in your talents and know that there is no limit to your potential, as long as you are willing to see it through. Thank you again to the NJACD for sponsoring my education during a time of hardship and uncertainty, and for your continued support of students in the field of conservation.
This summer, I am part of a team at Rutgers University researching the mechanisms behind the striking blue patterns found on the Eastern Fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Performing research like this has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I could not be more thankful for the opportunities I have been afforded from NJACD, Rutgers and my family and friends. Exploring the woods while catching and releasing lizards has also reinvigorated my dedication to the conservation and preservation of the Pine Barrens, which I have witnessed shrinking from deforestation. I have also been working as part of the COVID-19 Community Corps, helping New Jersey residents sign up for vaccinations to achieve herd immunity, a key step in bringing everyone back together as a community.
My major, Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources has been a mixed bag of exciting fun, and exhausting work, but I would not have it any other way. This fall will mark the first time I attend university in-person, rather than through virtual meetings. Though the thought once brought me fear, now that I have seen the scope of my own abilities, I am confident that next year is going to be something special, and I will make a mark wherever I go. I hope you also trust in your talents and know that there is no limit to your potential, as long as you are willing to see it through. Thank you again to the NJACD for sponsoring my education during a time of hardship and uncertainty, and for your continued support of students in the field of conservation.
2020 Scholarship Recipient
Ashley Fallone
2020 Memorial Conservation Scholarship RecipientAshley Fallone at Dingmans Falls, PA
It is a huge honor to be the recipient of this award from an organization that supports my beliefs and values to serve the environment in New Jersey. I feel so fortunate to know that organizations like the NJACD are helping passionate students like myself make a difference in the world. I am immensely grateful and appreciative for your support in my education.
This summer, I originally planned to do research in Florida for a National Science Foundation REU site called “Understanding Coastal Ecosystems – From the Everglades to the Coral Reefs” for 10 weeks. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this ended up being cancelled. The current pandemic has taken a lot from many students, including jobs, internship opportunities, and graduation ceremonies; and for me, COVID-19 took the money I would have made from this REU opportunity and put towards my education. However, this scholarship award will not only help fund my last year at Rutgers University, but it also eases the financial burden of college for myself and my family who have struggled during these unprecedented times.
Because of the lessened financial burden, I can continue to prepare myself for my senior year and focus on my project prospectus for this upcoming fall semester. My project questions if and how wind speeds affect migratory songbirds, and if our college campus is a sufficient stopover site for birds migrating in the fall.
The NJACD is helping me make a difference in the world as I pursue my goals of education and working in conservation efforts in New Jersey when I graduate. Thank you once again for investing in students like me. Your scholarship helps not only me, but my family, which means the world to me.
This summer, I originally planned to do research in Florida for a National Science Foundation REU site called “Understanding Coastal Ecosystems – From the Everglades to the Coral Reefs” for 10 weeks. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, this ended up being cancelled. The current pandemic has taken a lot from many students, including jobs, internship opportunities, and graduation ceremonies; and for me, COVID-19 took the money I would have made from this REU opportunity and put towards my education. However, this scholarship award will not only help fund my last year at Rutgers University, but it also eases the financial burden of college for myself and my family who have struggled during these unprecedented times.
Because of the lessened financial burden, I can continue to prepare myself for my senior year and focus on my project prospectus for this upcoming fall semester. My project questions if and how wind speeds affect migratory songbirds, and if our college campus is a sufficient stopover site for birds migrating in the fall.
The NJACD is helping me make a difference in the world as I pursue my goals of education and working in conservation efforts in New Jersey when I graduate. Thank you once again for investing in students like me. Your scholarship helps not only me, but my family, which means the world to me.
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Renee Parisi
2017 Memorial Conservation Scholarship Recipient Tony DiLodovico, NJACD President, presents Renee Parisi with a $1,500 Memorial Conservation Scholarship check on behalf of the NJ Association of Conservation Districts. Ms. Parisi is majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Hydrology and Soils Concentration at Stockton University's School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics.
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Kristen Johnson
2016 Memorial Conservation Scholarship Recipient NJACD officers award a $1,500 Memorial Conservation Scholarship to Kristen Johnson of Speedwell, NJ. Ms. Johnson is majoring in Environmental Policy, Institutions and Behavior with a minor in Public Health at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ.
Pictured left to right: Ray Cywinski, President; Kristen Johnson, recipient; Tony DiLodovico, 1st Vice President; and Dennis Dougherty, Treasurer
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Angela Monaghan
2015 Memorial Conservation Scholarship Recipient
2015 Memorial Conservation Scholarship Recipient
"I have applied to many scholarships... but no other donor's purpose statement resonated with me as much as the NJACD's. To know there is a local group that focuses on education & scientific research while raising awareness and working on the management of natural resources in the state is reassuring... As an Officer of the Rutgers Naturalist Club, my fellow club members and I also strive to educate and encourage interest in the natural world... since we believe global change starts at the local level."