provided to The Santiva Chronicle
At a special ceremony on April 25, “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge (DDWS) awarded $43,700 in conservation education scholarships to 15 students from the surrounding five-county area. During its 21-year history, the DDWS Environmental Scholarship Program has awarded a total of $371,500 to deserving students.
“The society is committed to educating today’s youth to become future conservation stewards,” said DDWS Education Committee Chair Becky Clemens. “We partner with businesses, families, and individuals to provide annual scholarships to award to outstanding students pursuing degrees related to conservation, wildlife biology, environmental engineering, policy, and science.”
Scholarship donors and recipients for 2026 include:
Mike & Terry Baldwin Scholarship: Sameen Qureshi
Dr. Andrew & Laura Dahlem Scholarship: Sarah Lindo
“Ding” Darling Conservation Scholarship: Hannah Dickinson
Dr. H. Randall Deming Endowed Scholarship for Conservation & Environmental Studies: Kira Zautcke
Fleischner Family Scholarship: Jaylee Ciaschini and Tori Guarino
Mary Elaine Jacobson Memorial Scholarship: Carter Oleckna
Kent and Sharon Jager Scholarship: Mary Grace Bowlin and Victoria Busch
Win & Marilyn Kloosterman Endowed Scholarship: Cael Kelley and Juliana Schoeberlein
Barry & Francine Litofsky Scholarship: Rylie DiSarro
Tarpon Bay Explorers Scholarship: Ethan Fulleton
Jane Werner Endowed Scholarship: Macy Noll and Izabella Smolnicka-Dos Santos
“These students become part of the greater ‘Ding’ Darling family,” said Clemens. “It is wonderful to see what they are accomplishing through their studies and their enthusiasm for making a real difference in conservation. We welcome them back as scholarship applicants next year and as fellow conservation stewards in years to come.”
DDWS again will be awarding scholarships starting at $1,000 each at the end of the 2026-2027 school year. High school seniors and college students from Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry counties pursuing careers in biology, conservation, and environmental studies are eligible.
For an application and to read full descriptions of 2026 scholarship winners and donors, click here.
Individuals and businesses interested in establishing a named scholarship of $1,000 or more, or about general endowments in support of the work at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, should contact DDWS Executive Director Ann-Marie Wildman at 239-789-8991.
ABOUT DDWS
As a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, DDWS works to support J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s mission of conservation, wildlife and habitat protection, research, and public education through charitable donations and Refuge Nature Shop profits. To support DDWS and the refuge with a tax-deductible gift, visit dingdarlingsociety.org or Ann-Marie Wildman at 239-789-8991 or wildman@dingdarlingsociety.org.
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