2024 Wyss Scholars Selected
Image courtesy of Kellie Shanaghan
The Wyss Foundation is proud to announce our 2024 Wyss Scholars. The Wyss Scholars Program supports the graduate-level education of a new generation of leaders in U.S. land conservation. Wyss Scholars learn the latest in conservation policy and law and apply that knowledge in future careers at land management agencies and nonprofit conservation groups.
Wyss scholarships are awarded to students currently enrolled at one of the six host schools: Lewis & Clark College (Law), Northern Arizona University (Environmental Science and Policy), University of Colorado (Law), University of Michigan (School for the Environment and Sustainability, and Law), University of Montana (Environmental Studies Program, College of Forestry and Conservation, and Law), Yale University (School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Law).
Lewis & Clark College selected two Wyss Scholars from its law school. Hayden Wyatt graduated from Quest University with a degree in Political Ecology and worked as the wildlands and water intern for Central Oregon Landwatch. Hayden is an extern at Crag Law Center, a Northwest Environmental Defense Center board member, and a member of the law review Environmental Law. Ian Connolly graduated from Quest University where he studied human geography, focusing on water policy, land conservation, and rural development. Ian worked for the Idaho Conservation League on salmon conservation and land issues. He serves as a legal extern for Advocates for the West, is public lands coordinator for the Northwest Environmental Defense Center at Lewis & Clark College, and is a source checker for the law review, Environmental Law.
Northern Arizona University
Two Wyss Scholars were selected at Northern Arizona University. Jess Raty received her degree in Resource Conservation and Political Science at the University of Montana. Following graduation, Jess worked as a legislative staffer for US Senator Jon Tester in Washington, DC. Through the Master of Environmental Science and Policy program at Northern Arizona University, Jess is researching an underutilized provision in the Clean Water Act, the Outstanding National Resource Waters, creating and analyzing the first comprehensive database of the legislation’s designations and attributes across the United States. Hanson Mike, a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, graduated from Fort Lewis College in Colorado and has interned at Conservation International, Grand Canyon Trust, and Tó Nízhóní Ání. His thesis focuses on the lack of Indigenous involvement in implementing the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, emphasizing the importance of integrating traditional ecological knowledge into Western sciences for effective conservation.
The University of Colorado selected one Wyss Scholar from its law school. Mariah Bowman previously served as the chief of staff to Delegate Gooditis, the vice chair of the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee in the Virginia House of Delegates. She worked with the Natural Resources Clinic at Colorado Law and is a member of the Environmental Law Society and the University of Colorado's Environmental Board. She will intern with the US Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division this summer.
Three Wyss Scholars were selected at the University of Michigan. Grace Carbeck graduated from the University of Michigan with an anthropology and environmental studies degree. She is a joint Master of Landscape Architecture and Ecosystem Science and Management student at the School for Environment and Sustainability, where she plans to integrate ecological knowledge deeper into her design and conservation work. Molly Russell is an Environmental Policy and Planning student at the School for Environment and Sustainability and a Master of Public Policy student at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental studies and history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She worked for Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and in the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School and is working on her master's project to develop better management practices for the St. Pierre wetland. Jessie Williams is a dual-degree Juris Doctor and Master of Urban and Regional Planning student at the University of Michigan. Jessie received her environmental studies and communication and media degree from the University of Michigan. She is an associate editor of the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law and a board member of the Urban Planning Student Association.
University of Montana
The University of Montana has selected four Wyss Scholars from its graduate school. Meridian Wappett graduated from Utah State University with a degree in conservation-restoration ecology and natural resources pre-law. She is an Alexander Blewett III School of Law student at the University of Montana, and has worked at Sierra Club Utah, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and most recently, with Advocates for the West. Meridian currently sits as the chair of her school's Environmental Law Group, is the publication editor for the Public Land and Resources Law Review and works with various environmental nonprofits in Montana and Idaho. Will Rose graduated from Tufts University with a degree in International Relations. Will attends law school at the University of Montana, where he is pursuing certificates in American Indian Law and Natural Resources and Environmental Law. He aims to use his education to advocate for the protection of wildlife and explore how the interests of Tribes and environmental groups can align with the preservation and restoration of America's wild spaces. Hannah Adkins graduated from the Miami University of Ohio with dual bachelor's degrees in zoology and environmental science, where she specialized in limnology and climate solutions. Hannah is pursuing a Master's Degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Montana and researching the effects of past land use on nutrient and mining pollution in the Clark Fork River. Hannah also serves as the vice chair of MontPIRG. Amishi Singh received her bachelor’s from the University of Washington studying Environmental Science. She is studying Environmental Studies and Natural Resource Conflict Resolution with an emphasis in policy and justice at the University of Montana, her thesis centering on the use of collaboratives as a tool for more adaptive conservation planning across the Western US.
Yale University
Three Wyss Scholars have been selected at Yale University. Nasra Amin Mohamed, a graduate of Carleton College, is pursuing a Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School of the Environment. She previously advised government agencies in Washington State on light-rail expansion and soil removal projects and worked as a research assistant in a grassland ecology lab. She currently works as an urban forester at Urban Resources Initiative, serves as a member of the Yale Forestry Club, and is organizing this year's Environmental Film Festival at Yale. Victoria Melissa Ramirez, a Master of Environmental Management candidate at the Yale School of the Environment, graduated from Pitzer College with an Environmental Analysis and Sociology degree. Victoria served as an AmeriCorps member for two years in the Community Volunteer Ambassador Program. At Yale School of the Environment, she is an education, communications, and events fellow with the Yale Center for Environmental Justice. Taylor Newton Wurts is a second-year law student at Yale Law School who graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Economics. He is the co-president of the Yale Environmental Law Association, vice president of the Yale Urban Law & Policy Society, and the executive policy editor of the Yale Law & Policy Review. He is also an advanced student intern in the Climate Change & Animal Agriculture Litigation Initiative and an advanced clinical student in the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project's Environment Working Group. He will aid similar efforts with the Conservation Law Foundation while exploring creative litigation and policy levers to hasten the green transition and protect land across New England.
For more information about the program, visit our Wyss Scholar’s page.
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About the Wyss Foundation – The Wyss Foundation is a private, charitable foundation dedicated to supporting innovative, lasting solutions that improve lives, empower communities, and strengthen connections to the land.