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Nicholas T. Chmura "Being environmental simply means that you live with an awareness of the environmental impact of your actions and make an effort to minimize it. [It] does not mean that environmental protection is your only motivation, and it does not cast you into any stereotype. It just means that when you make decisions at work, or by yourself, you think about how you could act differently in a more environment-friendly way." "I would encourage current high school students to look beyond the financial benefits of this scholarship and [see it] as a way to meet the most intelligent and ambitious young environmental leaders. Look beyond the traditional environmental areas to build your education as a Henry David Thoreau Scholar." "The Thoreau Scholarship offers unparalleled financial support, as well as academic and career guidance, for students studying any aspect of the environment. The Thoreau Foundation has always done a superb job seeing the role of the environment in every field and provides excellent guidance and networking opportunities for environmental leaders in any discipline."
Nick Chmura, in the yellow jacket, takes part in the COE (Cornell Outdoor Education) Program. He teaches hiking courses for COE and stresses environmental awareness in the process. Nick grew up in Taunton and graduated from Coyle and Cassidy Memorial High School. Articulate and focused, he never runs out of strong reasons why studying the environment is important for one's own personal and professional growth, as well as for the good of the planet. "I firmly believe that the importance of environmental issues will only grow in the future. The global leaders who are educated on these issues will be the most successful in developing the best research, businesses, and policies. Even today, this trend can be seen by looking at energy issues and at corporations that have invested in renewable energy sources. If you want to become a global leader in any field, education in environment issues is no longer optional." His environmental studies at Cornell center on numerical modeling and satellite data research. "A few months into my first year of college, my advisor approached me about becoming involved in the ongoing environmental research in my department. I had always had an interest in research, but I was still getting settled into my first year in college and had hardly mentioned this interest to him yet. He later told me that he came to me because I was a Thoreau Scholar. I think this really exemplifies how being a Scholar has helped me: it has opened up opportunities with financial, academic, research and internship support." Nick also teaches in Cornell's Outdoor Education program (COE), which complements his academic experiences. COE offers a full menu of courses from paddling to hiking to rock climbing, and emphasizes leadership, responsibility, and environmental awareness, such as the leave-no-trace philosophy. "To be an environmental leader means that you are aware of the environmental impact of your own actions. You act in a way that demonstrates this to others, and you also teach others how and why they should live in a way that is better for the environment. [It also] means that you take it upon yourself to pass your own awareness of the environment on to others." Nick is continually impressed with the new classes of Henry David Thoreau Scholars and is excited to become a part of the Society for the Environment after graduation next year. "The Foundation has been incredible to me," he concludes. |
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