Our 2007 Scholarship Winner Is . . .
Donald Alphose Fischer

Donald Alphonse Fischer, a recent graduate of Hendersonville High School, received a $1,000 Environmental Scholarship from the Environmental and Conservation Organization at his graduation ceremony on June 8.  Fischer will attend Evergreen State College, in Washington State, this fall and plans to major in ecology.
           
"It’s an important field to have knowledge in for the future of the world because our lives depend on the environment,” said Fischer about his environmental interests.  “Winning the scholarship helped me decide about going to Evergreen State.  It was the best school for me to study environmental sciences and I couldn’t have done it without it.” 
           
The Environmental and Conservation Organization has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving high school graduate in the region planning to go into environmental studies each year since 1999.  Past scholarship winners credit the scholarship in helping to instill a sense of confidence in their environmental career path due to the support of ECO and their community. 

"We had a lot of tough competition this year," said Roberta Wessells, chair of ECO's Scholarship Committee.  "It is heartening to see a growing number of students looking at environmental careers in their future, especially someone with the dedication and involvement as Donald Fischer."  Fischer has been researching the hemlock wooly adelgid as a senior project while well as working as a volunteer with Friends of DuPont Forest and the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy.

ECO received a $5,000 grant from The New York Times Foundation to support its Scholarship Fund.  Donors may contribute to the ECO Scholarship Fund, as well.  For more information phone ECO at 692-0385.