Winners of the 2016-2017 academic year student scholarships, awarded by the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Association of Environmental Professionals, include:
Danae Hall, University of San Francisco graduate student
Danae is pursuing a Master of Science in Environmental Management. Previously, she received a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Economics from California State University, Chico. With a special interest in sustainable development, Danae is focusing her studies on systematic changes in transportation and urban form as a means of climate change mitigation. In addition to her research in this field, Danae advances sustainable development as an environmental planner at Circlepoint, an Oakland based consulting firm.
In her work at Circlepoint Danae prepares CEQA/NEPA documentation, including initial studies (IS), environmental assessments (EA), and environmental impact reports and studies (EIR/EIS), for a variety of transportation, urban infill, and transit oriented development projects. She is particularly excited about working on the California High Speed Rail Palmdale to Burbank Project Section due to the project‘s potential to reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions.
A Bay Area native and outdoor enthusiast, Danae enjoys spending her free time hiking and camping in California‘s vast open spaces, waterskiing, snowboarding, and bicycling.
Michelaina Johnson, U.C. Berkeley undergraduate student
Michelaina is majoring in History and double minoring in Conservation and Resource Studies and Spanish. Over the past two years, she has taken several water-related classes that demonstrated to her the massive challenges facing California and the world's water future. Her studies at Berkeley, along with a museum internship she did on the history of water usage in Ventura County, gave her a passion for educating the public about water-related issues and studying how to manage the state's water in environmentally-friendly ways.
Over the past year, she has become secretary of Berkeley Water Group, worked as a research assistant for Professor Kerwin Klein on his project on the Stanislaus River, and published several articles on water-related topics. She is currently working as an intern for the Delta Protection Commission and conducting a year-long project on the historical landscape reconstruction of Cosumnes River Preserve in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for her undergraduate senior thesis in History. Her long-term goal is to become a professor and researcher who works on conservation efforts and policy related to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and to spread awareness of better water management practices for California.
Outside of her professional pursuits, Michelaina loves to read, hike, explore new places with friends and family, write, and bake. Her favorite baked sweets include peach cobbler and blueberry crumbles.
Jenna Rinde, University of San Francisco graduate student
Jenna is currently working on a Master of Science degree in Environmental Management at the University of San Francisco. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University Monterey Bay in Environmental Science Technology and Policy concentrating in watershed systems. While being a full time graduate student, she also works for the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as an Environmental Scientist. Her work entails monitoring water quality data throughout the Bay-Delta estuary.
Jenna‘s primary environmental interests are in water quality, toxicology, aquatic ecology and hydrology. At the University of San Francisco, she has been focusing on water and ecology courses. Her career goal is to become a project manager. With the Environmental Management degree, she plans on being an environmental leader focusing on water quality related efforts.
