Ashland University Senior Receives Grant

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University senior Karie Charlton was recently awarded a $3,350 grant from the Ohio EPA’s Environmental Education Fund.

The EPA’s Environmental Education Fund was created to encourage education in environmental science and engineering, and to provide funds for above-average undergraduates. The scholarship is awarded to students based on grade-point average, unique contributions to the field, and extracurricular activities.

“The man called early in the morning and I was so surprised that I still didn't believe it after I got off the phone with him,” says Charlton. “I went through an application process and got two really great letters of recommendation.”

Charlton has spent the past two summers working at environmental education camps for children. The first summer she spent working at the Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Learning Center at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Her second summer was spent at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and its Dunes Learning Center in Porter, Ind.

“Both summers gave me the opportunity to work with inner city kids and teach them all about nature, which is one of my passions,” says Charlton. “I went to summer camp for about eight years and I knew that I wanted to be a counselor at some point. I found that there were science related camps and then it all kind of fell into place.”

Charlton says that she hopes to be able to work with children in the future to teach them about the environment and nature.

Charlton, who is the daughter of Tom and Jill Charlton of Jelloway and a 2007 graduate of Loudonville High School, is currently serving her third year as the Ashland University Community Service intern and her second year as co-leader for Habitat for Humanity.

She has also been a member of the Alpha Phi sorority for three years, which she said has helped her gain leadership skills and further her involvement with community service.

“We’re very proud of her,” says her mother Jill Charlton. “It’s exciting to see that she is being recognized in this way.”

Charlton said that her academics are very important to her. She has managed to stay on the Dean’s List for the past three years.

Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.