ENSP Major Receives Prestigious Hollings Scholarship

Sophomore environmental science and policy major Julia Kischkat was in the middle of a rough week when she received some welcome news: She had been selected from a competitive pool of applicants across the country to receive a prestigious Hollings Scholarship awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“I cried,” Kischkat said. “I was stressed out about a lot of things, tired and burned out. I was in class when I got the email and was like, ‘Am I dreaming?’”

The Hollings Scholarship Program awards about 120 undergraduate applicants academic assistance of up to $9,500 per year for two years of full-time study and a 10-week full-time paid summer internship at a NOAA facility. The program selects students based on academic achievement in fields related to NOAA’s mission.

While Kischkat is unsure exactly what she wants to do after graduation, she’s focused on combining her love for the environment with her interest in politics and policy. She hopes the Hollings Scholarship will provide an opportunity to roll up her sleeves and immerse herself in research that could help shape a career path.

“I want to gain as many hands-on experiences as possible to figure out what I want to do,” Kischkat said. “I just have an appreciation for our world and nature and everything it gives us. I have realized that a lot lately, especially during quarantine.”

Kischkat said she first became interested in environmental science while completing a research project at her high school in Westchester, New York on how human behavior impacts fish populations in the Amazon. Then, a service trip to the Peruvian Amazon reinforced her passion for protecting the planet.

“I realized I could live there for the rest of my life, it was so peaceful,” Kischkat said. “I came back with a different mindset and wanting a career or path that embodies that.”

Kischkat doesn’t yet know at which NOAA facility her internship will be, but hopes to end up on the West Coast, in Hawaii or Alaska.

Published on Thu, Apr 15, 2021 - 10:15AM