Kurt Grinnell Aquaculture Scholarship Foundation awards grants to Indigenous students.
The Kurt Grinnell Aquaculture Scholarship Foundation (KGASF) has awarded scholarships to four Indigenous students pursuing careers in aquaculture and natural resource management, the organisation announced on Monday.
The foundation, established to honour the late Kurt Grinnell, a Native American leader from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington State, provides financial support to Tribal and First Nations students. Grinnell was a strong advocate for aquaculture as a means to enhance Tribal food security and economic development.
This year’s new recipients are Gwendolyn Aaberg of the Nondalton Tribe in Alaska and Jaycee Williford of the Chickasaw Tribe in Washington.
Aaberg, who is studying Applied Fisheries at the University of Alaska Southeast, brings years of experience fishing for salmon in Bristol Bay. “Gwendolyn impressed us with her interest in all aspects of aquaculture and mariculture,” said KGASF Executive Director John Dentler.
Williford, a first-year student at the University of Washington’s School of Aquatic and Fisheries Science, developed an interest in aquaculture after witnessing Tribal efforts to restore Kokanee salmon populations in Lake Sammamish. “That experience helped me recognize the importance of aquaculture in salmon restoration efforts,” he said.
The foundation also renewed scholarships for two previous awardees:
- Allison Carl, a member of the Chugach Alaska Corporation and Native Village of Eyak, is pursuing an M.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage and works as a lab manager at the Chugach Regional Resources Commission Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute.
- Alana Schofield of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Michigan is studying Fisheries and Wildlife Science at Lake Superior State University. She aims to work with freshwater and marine Tribal agencies on natural resource management and food sovereignty.
Jaiden Bosick, Chair of the KGASF Board and one of Grinnell’s daughters, said the foundation remains focused on expanding its impact. “It is exciting to see how much this award has meant to past recipients, and we are looking forward to reaching more Indigenous students in both the US and Canada,” she said.
Bosick added that the foundation is confident the scholars “will make a substantial and positive impact on Tribal and First Nation welfare through their contributions to aquaculture and natural resource science.”
