The Frank Leissiter Ag Media Scholarship was established to honor Chairman and Founder of Lessiter Media, Frank Lessiter. This scholarship is designed to support a Life Sciences Communication undergraduate student who is actively pursuing a career in agricultural news media.
Congratulations to our 2021-2022 Frank Lessiter Ag Media scholarship recipient!
Emma Schatz
Majors: Life Sciences Communication and Environmental Studies with a certificate in Chican@/Latin@ Studies
Hometown: Racine, WI
This scholarship is a huge honor and I am incredibly grateful to the donors for making this happen. The financial support given through this scholarship will help me participate in a study abroad program during Spring 2022. I am hoping to enroll in CEIBA’s Conservation Biology program in Ecuador. There I will gain field experience in various climates, including the Galapagos Islands, Andes Mountains, and the Amazon Rainforest. The CEIBA program will challenge my research and physical science skills, and I am prepared to bring my skills in advocacy and social sciences to the team. This trip will be extremely special to me because I have family currently living in Ecuador and I have never been able to visit the beautiful country that makes up such a significant part of my identity. I couldn’t be more grateful to have received this scholarship and will be putting the funds towards an experience of a lifetime.
Future goals: I would love to work with non-profit organizations working in advocacy and environmental policy to fight environmental injustices and the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on underrepresented communities. Engaging with the community and gaining field experience is really important to me, and I would love to partake in cultural resource management projects for underrepresented communities, both nationally and globally. After taking a few years off after undergrad, I plan to attend graduate school to study environmental policy.