The Swampscott Conservancy has awarded its first environmental-focused scholarship to graduate Effie Cobbett.
The scholarship program supports young leaders pursuing studies in environmental and related fields. Cobbett will attend Purdue University next year for biological engineering, focusing on plant-based applications. She will receive a $1,000 Environmental Focus Award Scholarship.
“We are incredibly proud to award this scholarship to Effie,” said Toni Bandrowicz, the Conservancy president. “Her creative and innovative personality and incredible dedication and energy is what is needed to solve the environmental challenges facing our world today.”
According to Bandrowivz, Cobbett’s studies at Purdue will focus on cost-effective climate change solutions, reducing reliance on fossil-based commodities, and advancing biodegradable plastics.
Cobbett is also a Girl Scout Gold Award applicant, the highest honor within the Girl Scouts. She restored a neglected parcel of conservation land, opening it for public use.The project also included a natural, unstructured play space to foster imaginative thinking for children.
“I am an innovative person who is passionate about changing the world,” Cobbett wrote on her LinkedIn profile. “I hope to one day make a difference in the world using the nature around us to do so. We came from the Earth, and so I believe that many of our solutions will too, and we just need the research to find them.”
At Swampscott High School, Cobbett participated in the Innovation Pathway program, which provides students with hands-on, career-focused experiences before graduation.
Cobbett also was a part of the track and cross country teams and participated in Model UN and band.
“We at the Conservancy wish her great success in all her future endeavors,” Bandrowicz said.
The Swampscott Conservancy works to protect the coastal community by raising awareness and maintaining public natural spaces. It hosts educational events, including a hands-on eelgrass exploration at Fisherman’s Beach with marine biologist Dr. Phil Colarusso on Saturday, May 31 from 8 to 10 a.m.
The Conservancy’s Environmental Focus Award Scholarship was made possible through a donation from the Spellios family, according to Bandrowicz.
