NAWC New Jersey Chapter awards $10,000 in scholarships for high school seniors
ISELIN – The National Association of Water Companies (NAWC) New Jersey Chapter has awarded $10,000 in scholarships to high school seniors as part of its annual scholarship program.
The NAWC-NJ Chapter awards scholarships annually to students who will be attending a New Jersey college or university and are interested in pursuing a career in the water utility industry or related fields, such as natural resource management, environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering and more. This year’s recipients each received a $5,000 scholarship award.
Rachel Geller, a 2023 graduate of Somerville High School will attend Ramapo College of New Jersey where she will major in finance. Kathryn (Katie) Marra, a 2023 Toms River High School North graduate, plans to study environmental science at Rutgers University – New Brunswick.
“Each year, the decision on scholarship winners gets more and more difficult given the level of academic excellence we are seeing,” said Jay L. Kooper, vice president, general counsel & secretary at Middlesex Water Company and chair of the NAWC-NJ Chapter. “It was a tough choice, but ultimately Rachel and Kathryn stood out for their accomplishments both in and out of the classroom. We look forward to watching them excel in their college careers – as well as life. The NAWC-NJ Chapter congratulates Rachel and Katie on their successes to date and is happy to play a role in helping them to advance their goals.”
Rachel’s passion for the fast-paced world of finance began at an early age and continues to this day. Rachel balanced her coursework while also excelling in field hockey and will play field hockey for Ramapo College. During high school, she also participated in Yearbook Club, the Student Movement Against Cancer Club and the Interact Club. Also active in her community, Rachel was on the planning committee for the Relay for Life Bridgewater.
Katie has long been inspired by the environment and the world around her which has led her down a career path toward environmental journalism while doing field work to rehabilitate Barnegat Bay. Katie excelled in field hockey in high school while maintaining a full slate of Advanced Placement courses. She participated in the school’s Green Team, the Sigma Xi Research Honor Society we well as the Martian Greenhouse. Katie also took an interest of her community including Friends of Island Beach State Park, Clean Ocean Action Beach Sweep, the American Association for the Advancement of Science Annotator and Save Barnegat Bay.
For more information on the scholarship and to learn how to apply for next year, visit the NJ Chapter page at www.nawc.org. To learn more about careers or internships in water, contact your local NAWC member company.
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ABOUT NAWC-NJ
NAWC-NJ is a trade association comprised of investor-owned water service companies that provide essential water and wastewater services in New Jersey. Collectively, NAWC-NJ members serve approximately 4.4 million people throughout the state. For information about the National Association of Water Companies visit www.nawc.org.