Karie Charlton, a senior at Ashland University, received a $3,500 grant from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Education Fund for her work in the field of biology.

“I think I jumped up and down for about 10 minutes and called my entire family after I heard that I won it,” Charlton said. “I almost missed the call at first because I did not recognize the caller ID number.”

This grant is also administrated by the Ohio Academy of Science. The scholarship program was created for students in environmental science and environmental engineering to encourage and motivate them to enter the field of environmental protection. It also awards merit-based scholarships to outstanding undergraduates to further their education and enhance their chances with future employment.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a career. It found me,” Charlton said. She chose a major in biology because it was something that she has always been interested in. Most importantly, she wanted a career in something that she would always enjoy.

Throughout the past two years, Charlton has worked at environmental education camps for kids.

“Both summers gave me the opportunity to work with inner-city kids and teach them all about nature, which is one of my passions,” Charlton said. “I went to summer camp for about eight years and I knew that I wanted to be a counselor at some point. I found that there were science-related camps and then it all kind of fell into place.”

Charlton found out about this scholarship through an e-mail from two of her professors at AU. Two letters of recommendations were needed for this application. Charlton received her letters of recommendations from Dr. Brauner, an AU biology professor, and her boss from last summer at the Indiana Dunes Learning Center.

To apply for this scholarship, Charlton needed a 3.0 GPA, along with internships, awards, publications and community service, among other things. The committee also looks for applicants who are involved in extracurricular activities and participating in organizations that show off one’s leadership skills.

Charlton said she feels this was a huge accomplishment for her and encourages other students to try and apply for this grant.