Donor Story
Sea Island Gardening Group Scholarships Allow Students to Bloom Through the generosity of the Sea Island Gardening Group, the College Foundation established the Sea Island Gardening Group Coastal Ecology Scholarship Fund to provide scholarships for students at Coastal Georgia in the coastal ecology program. To qualify for the scholarship, the student must be full-time (15 credit hours or more) with a minimum 3.0 grade point average in all core science courses, sufficient credits to be classified as a junior with a Biological Sciences major in the coastal ecology track, and demonstrated involvement in extracurricular activities. Up to $4,000 per academic year will be awarded to the recipient.
Daniel now works at the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway in the research division of the plant ecology lab. “The SIGG scholarship helped me financially to complete a degree that is affording me the opportunity to do work that I love. I think it’s great to share the same passion for plants as all the members of the Sea Island Gardening Group, and I’m proud to be doing work that is supporting the conservation of natural plant communities in the southeastern U.S.” Jessica served as a student assistant in the biology laboratories and for two years, from May through October, she worked in the research department of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. She hopes to eventually attend graduate school, with Florida at the top of her list. “They have a respected wildlife conservation program and a tradition of encouraging scientific curiosity. The school is also near the extensive wetlands of the Everglades.” She won’t apply until she has a more secure financial foundation to support her studies, noting the boost the SIGG scholarship for her undergraduate studies provided her. “Their support made such a difference.”
To be chosen is not only an honor in itself, but it also provides financial support to enable the student to reach an even higher level of academic achievement. Jessica Ahl ’15 (magna cum laude) and Daniel Nutt ’14 (December graduate; magna cum laude), biology majors in the coastal ecology track, were the recipients of the 2014-2015 Sea Island Gardening Group (SIGG) Scholarships.
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