Gabriel Acevedo (ENST ’23) finds his unique strengths
Gabriel Acevedo (ENST ’23) grew up on an island in the center of the hurricane belt where the impacts of climate change are very real and close at hand. His home country, the Dominican Republic, is already facing increasingly frequent and damaging storms, rising sea level, hotter temperatures and more intense dry-season droughts.
Acevedo understands deeply the value of an education in environmental sciences. But he didn’t always see the value in his unique position as a young Dominican poised to help his country through the coming years.
Then he applied for the Edward R. Landa and Judith A. Johnson Endowed Scholarship in Environmental Science and Technology (ENST), and something changed.
“I believed that I was not unique and that the person next to me was always a better candidate for receiving scholarships,” Acevedo said. “However, [being selected for the award] confirmed that I possess strengths that others may not have, and that I have qualities that make me stand out compared to my peers.”
Receiving the merit-based scholarship, which supports juniors and seniors pursuing an undergraduate degree in ENST, helped Acevedo focus on his coursework, and on learning to apply environmental science to the challenges Caribbean Islanders face.
It also gave him the confidence to pursue other scholarships and opportunities, like being a member of the university’s National Collegiate Soils Contest championship team.
Read Full Story in AGNR's
Momentum Magazine, Summer 2023 Edition
