How two Centre sisters followed their interests across the country for scholarship
Two Centre students have been selected for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholar Program, an immersive summer experience in the state of Washington that allows participants to explore their interests in environmental studies.
Presley Swiney reached out to her sorority at Centre College and asked for good luck before applying for the Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program (DDCSP) at the University of Washington.
That’s when she learned Carley Bishop, a fellow member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, had spent the summer of 2022 with the DDCSP.
“It was very comforting to know that someone I know so closely is out there doing it as well,” Swiney said. “I was very scared and unsure if I wanted to do it — I knew I wanted to apply, but knowing what she did, that made me more comfortable to actually accept.”
The DDCSP seeks students interested in environmental studies and takes its scholars on an immersive journey across the state of Washington over the course of two summers. The program examines ecosystems, interactions within those ecosystems between humans and the environment, and how humans can be better stewards of the environment.
The first summer is spent learning about different conservation issues, while in the second summer, students are engaged in a focused internship with one specific area of study. Next summer, Bishop will be paired with Friday Harbor Laboratories at San Juan Island in Washington.
“It was amazing last summer, people came from all over and it was great to see so many different experiences and point of views,” Bishop said. “Seeing everyone in one space and sharing a common interest, passion in the environment, was cool.
“(The University of Washington) really focuses on indigenous communities and their ecological knowledge,” Bishop said. “We visited several tribes and nations and learned how they were practicing protecting the environment while being sustainable. That was really special.”
Office of Fellowships Director Robert Schalkoff said that is part of what makes DDCSP unique, —in its mission and approach.
“The program centers equity and inclusion in nature conservation,” he said. “The emphasis on understanding different ways of knowing and hearing voices that have been traditionally silenced in environmental conversation makes it unique among environmental fellowships.”
Swiney’s call to the DDCSP was a personal one. She said her dream graduate school is the University of Washington. She grew up in nature, just east of Kentucky in a small town called Breaks, Virginia.
“I didn't really get interested in environmental sciences as a major until I took ENS 210 (Intro to Environmental Studies),” Swiney said. “We talked about coal mining and mountaintop removal. It hit home for me because my dad is a coal miner. I would have breakdowns in class, shaking from frustration, because I didn't know so much about what we learned about, like the land being overexploited. I live between three different coal mines, I remember the water being orange. Where I'm from, how I grew up, my dad — that’s what made me interested.”
Bishop, a Frankfort, Kentucky native, said that she was researching conservation internships and found the DDCSP. Last summer was her first with the program, and she said it was everything she had hoped the immersive experience would be.
Both Swiney and Bishop credited Centre with preparing them for the program.
“Centre is challenging. I come from a background where I didn't have accelerated programs that helped me,” Swiney said. “Coming here, being a Grissom Scholar, having support and knowing that my professors want the best for me — even if they are pushing me to my limit — has helped me feel extremely prepared, because I know I can handle anything.”
Swiney worked with Schalkoff’s Office of Fellowships to prepare for the DDCSP — something that all students have as a resource.
“Presley worked diligently over several months drafting and polishing her written application and then to prepare for her interview,” Schalkoff said. “Her efforts have paid off nicely, and I'm very excited for her to start her journey as a Doris Duke Conservation Scholar. It's wonderful to have Presley and Carley pursuing their passions and representing Centre in a program of this caliber.”
