Pittsburgh Botanical Gardens – Bus Trip – September 14, 2022
2022 Scholarship Winner
Congratulations Jordyn Ponchione.
The 2022 Katherine McKenna Scholarship in the amount of $1,500 was awarded to Jordyn Ponchione.
Jordyn attends Slippery Rock University with a major in Parks and Resource Management and a minor in Adventure Fitness with a concentration in Sustainability. Jordyn hopes to one day be an Interpretive Park Ranger.
Jordyn writes:
"I'm passionate about environmental education. Interpretive Rangers are the teachers of the outdoors, as they explain history on a specific area and demonstrate the science behind each part of that ecosystem – all while making it fun and enjoyable. Interpretive Rangers encourage good 'nature' habits and demonstrate how to be aid to the environment instead of harming it."
"The goal is to teach others without them realizing they are learning. It took me a long time to realize I can use my love of nature for a career path and not just a hobby. Many thanks to my family and friends, my teachers, and to the Greensburg Garden Center."
Congratulation Jordyn! We wish her much success in her choice of career paths!
2021 Scholarship Winner
Congratulations Megan Czekaj
The Katherine McKenna Scholarship in the amount of $1,500 was awarded to Megan Czekaj. Megan is the daughter of Michael Czekaj of Mt. Pleasant, PA.
Megan is pursuing a bachelor degree in Plant Science at Penn State University. She has selected the Crop Production option as part of her major. She will be entering her senior year this fall. Megan’s areas of interest include agroecology, soil management, and entomology. Most recently she became secretary of the Agronomy club and worked as a research assistant for weed ecology. Megan attended the Fayette campus of Penn State for two years where she was one of a select few students chosen to participate in the Launch Box program. Under the mentorship of Ajaya Warrier, she worked on the development of a home kit to test iron levels in field water.
Her community has benefited from her work in gardening, pruning and conducting routine landscape maintenance. We wish her much success in her choice of career paths. Agriculture offers a wide field of opportunities.