WSF Awards Youth Scholarships
June 26, 2024
Catherine Cummings – Auburn, Alabama
The scholarships are awarded to students in a field related to the Wild Sheep Foundation's endeavors, specifically degrees in wildlife management, wildlife biology, and pathology. An area of focus on wild sheep is preferred but not necessary. This year, a $5,000 scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate and another to a graduate student. Another $2,500 scholarship will be awarded to a runner-up graduate and a runner-up undergraduate.
“The number of applicants since the scholarship was first offered and awarded in 2018 has increased dramatically, including the amount of scholarships we have been able to award. In addition to the four scholarships totaling $15,000 that the Wild Sheep Foundation awards, we have teamed with Oregon Wild Sheep Foundation and Washington Wild Sheep Foundation to award another six scholarships totaling $8,000,” says Dr. Ryan Brock, the youth education coordinator for WSF.
Megan Mellor – University of Nevada, Reno
Catherine Cummings received the top graduate scholarship. Cummings is pursuing a Ph.D. in wildlife sciences from Auburn University’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment. Her dissertation research focuses on understanding the human dimensions of chronic wasting disease across the United States. This research aims to identify factors that influence hunters’ received risks, concerns, and comforts associated with new detections of chronic wasting disease. Additionally, she has ongoing research that seeks to determine whether state wildlife prevention, surveillance, and management policies effectively reduce the prevalence rate of chronic wasting disease in wild cervid populations.
This year’s top undergraduate reciepant, Megan Mellor, is the first recipient of this scholarship who previously attended WSF’s Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience while in 5th grade. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in biotechnology with a minor in wildlife ecology and conservation. Megan believes education in biotechnology and ecology gives her the unique opportunity and experience to understand ecology from a molecular level and how biotechnologies can be leveraged in the interest of conservation.
Dr. Brock reflected on the recent scholarships, “The quality of applicants over the past few years is simply amazing. We know we have some top-notch students going into wildlife management and conservation. Our future is in good hands.”
Click here to learn more about this scholarship program and download an application for 2025.
The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF), based in Bozeman, Mont., was founded in 1977 by sportsmen and other wild sheep conservationists. WSF is the premier advocate for wild sheep, having raised and expended more than $145 million, positively impacting these species through population and habitat enhancements, research and education, and conservation advocacy programs in North America, Europe, and Asia to “Put and Keep Wild Sheep On the Mountain®”. In North America, these and other efforts have increased bighorn sheep populations from historic lows in the 1950s-60s of 25,000 to more than 85,000 today. WSF has a membership of more than 10,000 worldwide. www.wildsheepfoundation.org
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