Scholarship provides student with CHANCE of a lifetime
Kortneay Logan (Life Science major) traded textbooks for a wetsuit this summer and traveled almost 10,000 miles to North Queensland, Australia, to participate in CHANCE (Connecting Humans And Nature through Conservation Experiences), a two-week Penn State environmental education program.
Instructors such as Kathleen Fadigan, Assistant Teaching Professor in Elementary & Early Childhood Education at Penn State Abington, led Kortneay and 14 other Penn State students. Their packed schedule included researching sea turtles with James Cook University’s Turtle Health Research Team, participating in the “Eye on the Reef” Rapid Monitoring Program, and learning from indigenous educators on the history of the Nywaigi Aboriginal culture.
Kortneay, who plans on a career as a marine biologist, said the experience was invaluable.
“CHANCE definitely opened my mind, teaching me that conservation is an ongoing fight and an uphill battle that I plan on joining,” she said. “It brought me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to try harder. There were days where the activities felt really hard, but I gave it my all.”
Kortneay was able to attend this once in a lifetime program thanks to a scholarship from Penn State Abington.
“CHANCE allowed me to experience a course I never would have been able to take in a classroom or lab. It has awakened my sense of adventure and made me rethink the possibilities of what is out there for me,” she said. “I would like to thank you for opening the door to career opportunities that would have been closed to me if I didn’t push as hard as I did to fight for this trip. Thank you so much for your belief in me,” she said.