2023 Mary Majka Scholarship Recipients

Nature NB and the Mary Majka Scholarship Fund committee are pleased to announce the four winners of this year’s Mary Majka Scholarship, awarded to students at any stage of their education who will be pursuing projects and programs in the realms of environmental science, conservation, biology, or other subjects that seek to better understand and protect our natural world. The awards were announced at Nature NB’s Annual General Meeting, held at the QPlex in Quispamsis, NB on June 2, 2023.

The Mary Majka Scholarship Fund was created in June of 2014 to honour the legacy of Mary Majka, one of Nature NB’s founding members and its President from 1980-84. The Fund’s purpose is to further youth engagement with nature and our natural heritage, one of Mary’s primary interests.

Three types of scholarship are offered:

• Category 1 is open to high school graduates about to start post-secondary studies in the field of natural sciences with an interest in nature and the environment. This would be conveyed as a study scholarship.

• Category 2 is available to post-secondary students already enrolled in the field of natural sciences with an interest in nature and the environment. This would also be conveyed as a study scholarship.

• Category 3 could be awarded to students in middle or high school wanting to further their knowledge in the natural sciences and would be given as a contribution to cover specific expenses such as a special project, study course or participation in a workshop.

Twenty-one students applied by the March 2023 deadline. The Committee met in early May to review and evaluate the applications and determine the awards that might be possible, given the quality of the applications.

The Committee recommended that, in Category 1, a $1,000 study scholarship be awarded in 2023 to Kaylee Hall of St. Andrews and that $500 study scholarships be awarded to Logan Shea of Rothesay, and to Rowan Bennett and Lilla Beth Christie, both of Saint John.

	Kaylee Hall will graduate Sir James Dunn Academy in St. Andrews in June where she is doing a double co-op placement at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre. She will move on to Dalhousie University or UNBSJ, where she plans to do a BSc in Marine Biology and later to achieve a Doctorate. Her career goal is to utilize research to support advocacy work with large corporations and governments.
	Rowan Bennett will complete her studies at St. Malachy’s Memorial High School in Saint John in June and has enrolled in Dalhousie University’s Marine Biology program. Her early concerns about global warming and the exploitation of our natural environment have steered her long-term goals toward researching the effects of climate change and becoming a positive influence in its mitigation.
	Lilla Beth Christie in Saint John will move on from high school to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree at Memorial University in Newfoundland this September. Lilla Beth recognizes that many people lack knowledge of sustainable and eco-friendly practices. One of her goals after earning her biology degree is to acquire a teaching degree so she can work with students and inspire a more environmentally-aware generation.
	Logan Shea will finish at Rothesay High School this month and plans to begin studies in Environmental Science at the University of British Columbia this fall. His vision is to examine conservation initiatives on the West Coast and bring the knowledge gained back to New Brunswick. His career goal is to make a positive and meaningful impact on the world’s environmental challenges.

Nature NB is proud to support Kaylee, Rowan, Lilla Beth, and Rowan in their studies and congratulates them on their accomplishments to date.

Donations to the Mary Majka Scholarship Fund can be made online, by cheque, or by e-transfer through the Nature NB office at 61 Carleton Street, Suite 3, Fredericton, NB E3B 3T2. More information is available here.

Nature NB is a New Brunswick non-profit, charitable organization and charitable receipts are issued.

Jim Wilson
Chair, Mary Majka Scholarship Fund Committee