Project EverGreen Announces Because Green Matters Scholarship Winners
Project EverGreen has announced the winners of its 2007 Because Green Matters scholarships. The $2,500 awards, designed to assist those preparing for careers in the green industry, will go this year to John Eastman, a student at Michigan State University (MSU); and Dustin Potts, a student at Purdue University.
In announcing the awards, Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, said, "Both winners have demonstrated their ability to combine high scholastic standing, with strong participation and leadership in student activities--all while showing initiative to gain practical experience in career-related employment. They are well-suited to advance the role which the green industry plays in enhancing our environment and our economy."
Gardner gave a brief resume of each winner, as follows:
John Eastman is working toward a degree in Horticulture at MSU with an emphasis on Landscape Design and building. He plans to graduate in May 2008. Raised on a farm which has been in his family more than 100 years, he has long had an interest in landscaping and has worked for several summers gaining experience in landscape design and construction. In addition, he has become a Certified Landscape Technician and a Certified Pesticide Applicator. Eastman has maintained a high grade point average with active participation in campus activities, including being vice president of the MSU Horticulture Club.
Dustin Potts plans to graduate from Purdue in May 2008 with majors in Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. A member of the scholastic honorary Mortar Board Society, he has achieved a 3.97 grade point average while participating in a range of campus and interscholastic activities related to his interest in a career in scientific horticulture. Potts has gained experience in this area in Purdue's Study Abroad program and through summer work at the Mesker Park Zoo, Evansville, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Currently, as a summer intern at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.
Following announcement of the awards, Gardner said that entries are now being solicited for next year's Because Green Matters scholarships. To qualify students must major or minor in a green industry related field such as horticulture, plant sciences, botany, agronomy, plant pathology, water management, etc.
Eligibility, as determined by a committee made up of members of the Project EverGreen Board of Directors, extends to two- and four-year program students attending institutions that offer turf, landscape and golf management curriculums. Information on how to apply for scholarships to be awarded in 2008 can be obtained by accessing www.projectevergreen.com.