FRIENDS OF VOLO BOG

Friends of Volo Bog 2023-2024 Scholarship winners Announced



Friends of Volo Bog would like to announce their Environmental/Natural Science Scholarship winners for the 2023-2024 academic year.

There were forty-three Entering College applicants and eighteen Continuing College applicants, and once again the Scholarship Committee was impressed and had a difficult time choosing just three winners. We’d like to thank Dave and Cynthia LeMieux because, due to their generosity again this year, we are able to provide three rather than our budgeted two scholarships.

The Continuing College winner this year is Madeline Palmquist of Naperville, a graduate of Metea Valley High School and currently enrolled at Loyola University in Chicago, studying ecology.  Madeline is particularly interested in wetland restoration, and plans to go on to earn a master’s degree and eventually a doctoral degree. She founded an “Eco-Anxiety” student group at Loyola to help young people “overwhelmed by the responsibilities involved in environmental pursuits.”  

Alaina Martin is the winner of one of our Entering College Scholarships.  She is currently a senior at Hyde Park Academy High School in Chicago, and plans to attend either Western or Southern Illinois University in the fall. She would like to be a field scientist and plans to study botany in college. Alaina founded a garden club at her high school because she loves to be outdoors, has found that she very much enjoys teaching others about plant life, and would like to pursue this in her career.

Courtney Bair is also the winner of an Entering College Scholarship. She is currently a student at Libertyville High School, and plans to attend Purdue University.  She would like to become an environmental strategist, with the goal of a double major in natural resources and environmental science and marketing.  Courtney has been very involved with the LEAF (Libertyville Environmental Action Force) and has become an advocate for native and prairie plants, which help restore the local environment.

Congratulations to our three outstanding winners!  If you would like to meet them and hear them read their scholarship essays, please plan to come to our Friends of Volo Bog Annual meeting and Picnic on June 25th at Volo Bog.