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Ozarka awards earth science scholarships to Texas students

$10,000 awarded to Texas State PhD candidate
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“I am extremely honored to be the recipient of the ‘Every Drop Counts’ scholarship," Dawn Houston, a PhD student at Texas State University studying Aquatics and Conservation Biology, said.

Ozarka Brand 100% Natural Spring Water, a part of the Nestlé Waters family, awarded two $10,000 scholarships and two $2,500 scholarships to four Texas students pursuing careers in environmental/earth sciences.

As part of Ozarka’s commitment to Texas, the company created an annual “Every Drop Counts” Earth Science Scholarship Fund in 2002. Statewide, Ozarka awards two annual $10,000 scholarships to qualified Texas students who wish to major in hydrogeology, or any other Environmental/Earth Science that focuses on water conservation and preservation at a four-year college or university.

Through Ozarka recent partnership with The Meadows Center for Water & Environment, which is connected to Texas State University in San Marcos, one of the $10,000 scholarship is awarded to a Texas State University student who is pursuing an Environmental or Earth Science degree. This year’s award went to Dawn Houston, a PhD student at Texas State University studying Aquatics and Conservation Biology.

“I am extremely honored to be the recipient of the ‘Every Drop Counts’ scholarship and overwhelmed by Ozarka Natural Spring Water’s generosity to support my academic endeavors,” Houston said. “As a doctoral student, this award allows me to fully focus on my studies in avian conservation, and I am committed to honor the scholarships by pursuing my degree to the best of my ability. With my research, I hope to shed light on the importance that Texas river systems have on migratory birds moving through the state. Ultimately, I hope to contribute to the growing knowledge of how to best manage our lands and water for all creatures who depend on them.”

“We are grateful for Ozarka’s support of future leaders in conservation. Ozarka knows that a commitment to sustainability also includes developing the talent needed to ensure that our natural resources are available for future generations,” Robert Mace, interim executive director of The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, said.

The second $10,000 scholarship award went to Allyson Holman who just completed her undergraduate studies at Stephen F. Austin University and will be pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Science at The University of Michigan this fall.

Additional $2,500 scholarships were awarded to students in East Texas independent school districts where Ozarka has operations. These two $2,500 awards were given to high school seniors at Hawkins and Harmony High Schools, where Ozarka operates a bottling facility.

“Ozarka is committed to environmental leadership and innovation and we believe that environmental education is critically important for the future,” Ozarka Natural Resource Manager Trey Mixon said. “This scholarship fund was created to perpetuate the goal of preserving and protecting our natural environment through the leadership and creativity of promising young students such as the ones we’ve selected this year. Their interests and pursuits of careers in the earth sciences matches many of our own employees, whose daily jobs are to manage and maintain the health and integrity of our water resources and the surrounding lands that support our springs. We are very pleased to help these students with their college educations.”

Nationwide, the Ozarka manages 47 spring sites across the United States and protects more than 21,000 acres of land and natural habitats.

Students interested in pursuing next year’s “Every Drop Counts” Scholarship awards are encouraged to contact their high school counselor or college advisor regarding scholarship rules and guidelines. Next year’s winners will be selected in summer 2020.

-Submitted by The Meadows Center for Water & Environment, Texas State University

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