Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains has awarded grants to three Loudoun County Highschool graduates to help with their college education.
The awards have been given to Parker Price of Loudoun Valley High School and Graydon Berlik and D. J. Bundick, both from Woodgrove Highschool.
Parker is the Founder of the Loudoun Valley High School Nature and Environmental Club, a member of the National Honor Society, and won an Honorable Mention at the Regional Science Fair this year. She has also been an active volunteer for several local community organizations and educational activities. In her application — in addition to appreciating the beauty and thriving ecosystem of the Blue Ridge Mountains — she is inspired to pursue a career dedicated to the preservation of them through the studies of ecology and microbiology. She specifically plans to explore the microscopic factors that influence ecosystems from soil bacteria that regulate plant growth to microorganisms that break down pollutants. She is eager to make a difference by continuing her research toward scientific advancement so that people and nature can thrive together. Parker will be attending Virginia Tech where she will be pursuing a degree in Ecology and Microbiology.
Graydon has logged 100 hours of volunteer service focused almost entirely on environmental stewardship and ranging across a number of activities and organizations including Keep Loudoun Beautiful and Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy. In addition, over the past two years he has devoted efforts to research projects related to sustainability – one related to transitioning to renewable energy and the other to sustainable agricultural practices. He plans to attend UVA this fall to study environmental science in hopes of pursuing a career in conservation . . . and credits his hikes in the Blue Ridge with inspiring his career aspirations.
J. Bundick’s interest in the environment was sparked when he did a project on global warming in the third grade. He subsequently became fascinated by wildlife and the habitats necessary to support their ability to survive – and thrive. His concern about the planet was reinforced when he joined the Environmental Club here at Woodgrove for which he has served as Vice-President for three years and through which he was selected to be one of two panelists to represent Loudoun County at the state environmental crisis forum where he spoke about different ways to build a stronger, more sustainable and healthy community. He plans to study environmental science and business in college as a steppingstone to a career promoting the use of solar, electrical, and wind energy.
The beauty of the Blue Ridge is a defining backdrop for our lives in Western Loudoun County. Our mountains are precious, but fragile, more threatened in our region than anywhere else along the range. The future of the Blue Ridge depends upon today’s high school generation taking on the role of stewards of the mountains. It is for this reason that the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the only conservation organization in Loudoun County dedicated to preserving, enhancing, and celebrating the Blue Ridge, reaches out to youth in the form of the Jane Pratt and Jed Shilling Blue Ridge Education Award.