2023 College Scholarship Recipient

Ascutney Mountain Audubon Society (AMAS) has selected Declan McCullough of Woodstock, Vermont, as the winner of its 2023 $1,000 scholarship.

The scholarship is awarded to a graduating high school senior who lives within certain Vermont designated towns and has demonstrated a strong commitment to the environment.  Students are required to submit an application to the Vermont Student Assistance (VSAC) Scholarship Program during the annual application period.

Declan is a recent graduate of Woodstock High School and is planning to attend the University of Vermont this fall to major in Environmental Science. In his applying essay, Declan said that, “I have always maintained an innate love of the outdoors and have had a keen awareness of the relationship between humankind and nature. My interest in environmental science comes from the belief in which all people have access to healthy, viable ecosystems that can be sustained throughout future generations.” 

Declan has been active with Change the World Kids and will be traveling to Costa Rica with them this summer for a reforestation project for which they will be collecting research and planting new trees in a migratory corridor that is critical to the survival of resident birds and neo-tropical migrants from northern countries, including Vermont song birds.For more information about the AMAS scholarship, please contact Wilda Pelton at 802-885-9517 or consult with a school guidance department for information on VSAC scholarships.

— Wilda Pelton