Feb. 6, 2004 – For the third year in a row, the Friends of V.I. National Park are offering scholarships to students studying in fields related to natural resource management or protection. The fields include marine biology, botany, ecology, forestry, or any other appropriate area.
"We're trying to encourage them," program manager Emily Burton said of students in those particular disciplines, explaining why the Friends fund scholarships.
The Friends group is offering two $1,000 scholarships to students entering their junior or senior years at an accredited university. They are disbursed at $500 per semester.
The scholarships also include the offer of summer internships with the Friends during the summers before their junior and senior years. "They're working with rangers directly and get hands on experience," Burton said.
To be eligible, students must be Virgin Islands residents who completed high school in the Virgin Islands, completed all prerequisite course work for majors in appropriate fields, and maintained a B average through the first three semesters for sophomore applicants and through the first five semesters for junior applicants.
In 2002, the first year the Friends offered a scholarship, Leia LaPlace was the winner. She and Sean Richardson won scholarships in 2003.
Applications are available by calling Burton at 779-4940, on the Friends Web site, or at the University of the Virgin Islands financial aid office. The deadline to apply is March 31.
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