Application Process
The
Dolores (Deo) Fisher Award will be given
annually to one young woman between the ages of
16 and 21 or to one young woman between 22 and
30. Finalists in each age group will compete for
the $1,000 cash award and trophy.
Four Requirements:
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Completion of the application form; (Click here to download printable form.)
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A 1,000 word essay describing how the candidate hopes to make a difference in the world through her passion for the oceans;
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A written statement outlining career goals, where along her path the candidate is, where she expects to be by May of the award year, and how the Dolores E. Fisher Award will help her achieve these goals;
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Three letters of recommendation sealed by the author.
The complete application package should be mailed to:
Curator,
Department of Education
Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society
200 Greene St.
Key West, FL 33040
The award cycle opens in January and closes by mid-March 2008. There is a six-member selection committee that will decide upon and notify the winner by May 15, 2008. Certificates of honorable mention will also be awarded. The committee reserves the right not to award the prize. Final decisions may bebased on phone or personal interviews.
GIVING
The Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society is a
501 (c)(3) accredited,
not-for-profit organization existing for the purpose of accumulating and disseminating information; providing educational services to the public on maritime and colonial activity in the New World and preserving maritime culture resources.
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PREVIOUS WINNERS
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2007
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FIRST PLACE WINNER |
FIRST RUNNER UP
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 Alexandra Maria Avila
The 2007 winner is Ms. Alexandra Maria Avila of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Alexandra is a junior in biology and environmental science at Hood College in Frederick, MD and presently on a semester abroad in Quito, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. She is thoroughly bilingual in English and Spanish. In answer to the question: What personality characteristics do you value most about yourself and why? Alexandra comments: “Foremost honesty. If everyone were honest, our society would be an ever-so-much- better place. Also, my tenacity, my free spirit, my joy of living, my curiosity about the world around me, my willingness to work hard for what I believe in.” Her essay is entitled MY WATER WORLD.
Her experiences include: Biology Technician and Wildland Firefighter for the U. S. Forest Service in Mt. Hood National Forest; Biology Tutor at Hood College; Intern, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD; Participant in Hood’s Coastal Semester therefore visiting Florida laboratories and field stations. She has been honored as a state finalist for the Miss Maryland USA pagent, has received a Merit Scholarship and Hispanic Scholarship Fund Awards.
She is listed in Who’s Who in American High Schools (2001-2004). For fun it is carpentry, electronics, photography, acting, painting and sculpting. Congratulations Alexandra! You are indeed passionate about the oceans and extremely motivated. |
 Megan Rose McWhite Lamson shares a common heritage with our former director Dr. Madeleine Burnside. Both are graduates of the University of California Santa Cruz – (“Go banana slugs!”). At UCSC Megan was on the Dean’s List, awarded Highest Honors in her major and was admitted into Phi Beta Kappa. Megan is presently finishing her first year of a two-year graduate program in tropical conservation biology and environmental science at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. She volunteers as a soccer coach, Hawksbill Turtle Monitoring Observer, and as a marine naturalist.
Her hope is to inspire and inform the next generation to appreciate their natural surroundings and to acquire a mind-set of sustainability and conservation. The personality characteristics that she values: “I’ve got drive and determination that won’t fail. I love that when I put my mind to something I am committed until the end. I display power and confidence like a good leader, yet I pride myself more in my ability to listen and observe. Megan’s essay was entitled BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN CONSERVATION, RESEARCH, and COMMUNITIES: A tale from one marine ecologist in the making. Megan too is fluent in English and Spanish. Congratulations to you Megan! We wish you continued success in every endeavor.
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FIRST PLACE WINNER |
FIRST RUNNER UP
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 Erin Myers
Erin distinguished herself early in life – at age 23 to be exact. She undertook a 30,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe as Captain and Expedition Leader of the 43-foot ketch MAKULU II. Her essay is entitled “From Sea to Shining Sea”. The personality characteristic that Erin values most about herself is the ability to be a team leader and to identify and encourage team members’ strengths to create a dynamic and positive environment. She did this for nearly three years with a crew of four for the educational journey REACH THE WORLD (www.reachtheworld.org), bringing her adventures into the inner-city classrooms via the Internet. Erin continues to lead and intends to start graduate school in environmental science and management.
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 Andrea Rivera
The title of Andrea’s essay is “Ocean Dreaming”. Andrea was born in Honduras and as a young teenager moved to New Jersey. The personality characteristic that Andrea values most about herself is her involvement and motivation to become involved and inspire others to help and actively pursue ways to help the marine environment. She is presently attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After graduation, Andrea hopes to return to Honduras to develop strategies to couple development with sustainability of the mangrove and coral reef ecosystems.
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FIRST PLACE WINNER |
FIRST RUNNER UP
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 Leda Cunningham
Leda is a candidate for an MBA/MA in Global Environmental Policy at American University in Washington, DC. Her experience includes being Dive Outreach Coordinator for the National Environmental Trust for the Conserve Our Oceans Legacy (COOL) campaign. Included in her success is “Dive into Earth Day” a SCUBA certification course for members of Congress and their staff. She supervised formation of the Capital Hill Dive Club. She and others have recruited 150 plus dive groups in 26 states as signatories to COOL. Previously Leda was first an intern and then office manager for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) in Key Largo, Florida. One reviewer said of Leda “What makes Leda so exceptional is her ability to effectively act in support of her passion.” The title of her essay is “Beneath the Sea: Protecting Earth’s Last True Wilderness from Below.”
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 Maria Wojakowski
Maria has a passion for the well being of sea turtles. Maria recently presented results of field research on the influence of nest site microhabitat on nest temperature and offspring sex ratio of the diamondback terrapins at the New York City Science and Engineering Fair Expo. The title of her essay is “Planet Ocean.”, (viewable on web). Maria has been conducting research with Dr. Russell Burke of Hofstra University, took a marine science course at the American Museum of Natural History, and is presently graduating from Townsend Harris High School at Queens College, Flushing, New York. Her goals are to continue in research. She has been accepted at Duke University and plans a double major in marine science and the biological sciences. Her ultimate goal at the time of this writing is to earn a Ph.D. in marine biology and a veterinary degree in order to conduct research on fibropapillomatosis, a disease of sea turtles.
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