Climate Leadership Scholarships awarded to two local teens

||| FROM JACK RUSSILLO for SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST |||

For the third consecutive year, the San Juan Preservation Trust is pleased to announce the winners of its board-sponsored Climate Leadership Scholarships, awarded to two members of the Class of 2022 who are graduating from island high schools and who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment, effort, and imagination in addressing the issue of climate change.

Congratulations to Isara Greacen (Lopez High School) and Luke Fincher (Friday Harbor High School)! A committee of Preservation Trust board members selected Isara and Luke from a truly impressive group of applicants from across San Juan County.

The Preservation Trust’s intention in awarding the $4,000 scholarships is to recognize and encourage students in our island communities who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment, effort, and imagination in addressing the issue of climate change, and who plan a course of collegiate study that equips them to amplify their climate-focused endeavors.

“Climate change is altering ecosystems on the lands that the Preservation Trust conserves and stewards,” said Michael Popiwny, who chaired the selection committee. “This year’s scholarship recipients, Isara and Luke, have truly distinguished themselves as members of the generation that is leading us all toward innovative solutions and a more comprehensive understanding of what is needed to protect and conserve our islands, and the rest of the planet, in a changing environment.”

“SJPT’s 2022 Climate Leadership Scholars demonstrate the courage, energy, and perspectives that are needed to help combat the climate crisis,” added Popiwny. “We look forward to seeing how these scholarships help them achieve their dreams.”

Here is how this year’s climate scholars plan to make the world a better place, in their own words:

Isara Greacen
“I feel like climate is an issue that expands across multiple subjects. I hope that my access to interdisciplinary education will allow me to explore the intersection of climate and the various subjects I’ll be studying. For example, I’m really interested in nutrition and my hope is that by going to Scripps, I can explore this crossover and how by changing our diets we may be able to help solve this climate issue.”

Luke Fincher
“My concerns with climate issues have almost directly influenced my choice of occupation and my choices of college. I want to become a climate and environmental psychologist. I really want to help people improve their interactions with the environment while also simultaneously improving their own quality of life. I think that, quite simply, we need a healthier planet in order to live a healthier life.”