Scholarship
Helping the Next Generation of Community Leaders
The Delaware Highlands Conservancy annually awards the Vanessa Joy Van Gorder Memorial Scholarship to a local high school senior.
The Vanessa Joy Van Gorder Memorial Scholarship
In 2015, the Conservancy established a Memorial Scholarship in honor of Vanessa Joy Van Gorder, who passed away on December 25, 2014. A recent graduate from West Chester University with a degree in education, Vanessa was passionate about the outdoors and loved exploring the lakes, rivers, and forests of the Upper Delaware River Region with her friends and family. The Conservancy established this scholarship in Vanessa’s memory and to honor her dream of becoming an educator.
The $2,000 scholarship is open to high school seniors pursuing a career in education or environmental stewardship, in school districts bordering the Upper Delaware River in New York and Pennsylvania. These include Hancock Central, Deposit Central, Eldred, Monticello, and Sullivan West in NY, and Wallenpaupack Area, Honesdale, Western Wayne, and Delaware Valley in PA.
Application Instructions
Students at eligible districts should contact their guidance counselors for applications. Applications must be submitted through the school’s guidance counselor for transmittal to the Delaware Highlands Scholarship Committee by March 22, 2024. Recipients of the scholarship will be notified in May.
To continue to inspire youth and encourage careers in natural sciences and environmental education, donations to the scholarship fund are encouraged.
