The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) has awarded its 2023 Scholarships to four deserving students. The conservation scholarship program rewards graduating high school students who are pursuing post-secondary studies in a conservation-related field and who have demonstrated high academic standing and involvement in environmental initiatives.

Annabelle Rayson, from St. Patrick’s Catholic Secondary School in Sarnia, and Olivia Grubb, from Lambton-Kent Composite School in Dresden were both awarded with the 2023 A.W. Campbell Memorial Scholarship. Annabelle will be attending Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts this fall pursuing a degree in Environmental Sciences and Engineering while Olivia is enrolled in the Bachelor of One Health program at the University of Guelph.

Brynn Dugdale, a student at Strathroy District Collegiate Institute in Strathroy was awarded the Tony Stranak Conservation Scholarship while Rebecca Adema, also from Strathroy District Collegiate Institute received the Mary Jo Arnold Conservation Scholarship. Brynn will be pursuing a degree in Environmental Sciences at the University of Guelph while Rebecca will be studying Biology at Western University.

The scholarship recipients were formally presented with their awards by SCRCA Chair Pat Brown earlier this week. “It is such a delight to meet with our scholarship recipients,” said Brown, “We are happy to provide support to these students as they pursue their post-secondary studies in the environmental field. Their contributions to the community and local conservation are impressive and I’m confident they will play an important role in tackling current and future environmental issues both locally and beyond.”

The scholarships are made possible through trust funds established by the St. Clair Region Conservation Foundation and its donors. In total, $3,000 was awarded across the St. Clair Region this year. For more information on the Authority’s scholarship program, visit https://www.scrca.on.ca/scholarships/.