In October, the College of the Environment announced the recipients of this year’s Dean’s Office Scholarships. Each year the competition for these funds increases as more interested students apply. Being awarded a Dean’s Office Scholarship is an honorable achievement. Please join us in congratulating these accomplished SEFS students. 

Nancy Wilcox Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of former UW Provost Phyllis Wise, who established it to support students pursuing degrees in the College of the Environment. Dr. Wise named the endowment in honor and memory of her late sister, Nancy E. Wang Wilcox, a middle school teacher who tried to develop the minds of young adolescents using creative and innovative ways of learning. It is this legacy that inspired Provost Wise to establish this endowment to carry on her sister’s commitment to helping others achieve their educational goals.

SEFS Recipients:

• Katherine Babko, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Emma Howell, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

Clarence H. Campbell Endowed Lauren Donaldson Scholarship

Clarence H. Campbell established this scholarship in memory of Lauren “Doc” Donaldson to support students in the Schools of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, Marine and Environmental Affairs, and Oceanography. Professor Donaldson earned his MS and PhD degrees from the UW in 1931. He served on the faculty of the School of Fisheries from 1932 until his retirement in 1973. Doc was a world-renowned expert in development of fish stocks, and trained countless students in freshwater fisheries research and management. Clarence Campbell, ’30, established this fund to recognize Doc’s lasting influence.

SEFS Recipient:

• Maya Rios, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management/Aquatic and Fishery Sciences

Dani Elenga Environment Scholarship

Sigrid Elenga and Steve Smyth established the Dani Elenga Environment Scholarship in memory of their daughter, Dani Elenga, to encourage and support students with an interest in the environment who are participating in the Educational Opportunity Program, which promotes academic success and graduation for under-represented ethnic minority, economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students at the UW.

SEFS Recipient:

• Lorenzo McCleese, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

Michael and Rebecca McGoodwin Endowed Scholarship in Environmental Conservation, Atmospheric, and Earth Sciences

Dr. Michael McGoodwin established an endowment to support undergraduate students in the College of the Environment in December 2019. This endowment honors the life and memory of Rebecca McGoodwin and their shared passion for the natural environment. By supporting undergraduates on the basis of academic merit and financial need, this scholarship helps students who are pursuing the study, investigation, and conservation of the biosphere and its protection from human impacts. Areas of study may include but are not limited to, the study of relevant Earth and atmospheric sciences such as aquatic and terrestrial habitats including oceans, soils, forests, atmospheric physics and chemistry, and the interactions of these with past and current life forms.

SEFS Recipient:

• Lorenzo McCleese, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

Leo Reitan Endowed Scholarship

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of Leo Reitan. This scholarship was created to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students pursuing a degree in the College of the Environment.

SEFS Recipients:

• Quill Burke, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Blaise Stricker, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Stephen White, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Luke Musser, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Emily Hutsell, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Ian Downen, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Courtney (Lauren) Karels, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management 

College of the Environment Scholarship

This scholarship is made possible by the generosity of donors. The scholarship was created to support both undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees in the College of the Environment.

SEFS Recipients:

• Vivi Kondrat, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Nijah Coleman, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Gabriel Kennedy-Gibbens, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Kerianne Edlund, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
• Kaitlyn Kusske, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management

College of the Environment Top-Off Award

This award is offered to top ranked incoming graduate student applicants across the College and provides a one-time payment to be used as the student sees fit to enhance their scholarly work at the University of Washington.

SEFS Recipients:

• Andrea Muñoz Ledo Farré, Environmental and Forest Sciences
• Xingrong Ren, Environmental and Forest Sciences

Hall Conservation Genetics Research Fund

This award is made possible by the generosity of Drs. Benjamin and Margaret Hall. During his 38 years in genetics, UW Professor Emeritus of Genome Sciences and Biology Benjamin “Ben” Hall made many key discoveries, including the patented invention “Expression of Polypeptides in Yeast” which the UW-licensed for the production of vaccines against Hepatitis B Virus and Human papillomavirus, as well as Human Insulin, and other recombinant proteins. This funding award supports graduate students working in the field of conservation genetics.

SEFS 2025 Recipient:

Morgan Raimondo
Advisor: Sharon Doty
Project: Investigating the function and composition of endophytic plant microbiomes for resilience to abiotic stress.