Partners for Clean Air Scholarship

Scholarships

The Partners for Clean Air scholarship allows the Partners for Clean Air to give back to the Northwest Indiana community by helping qualified students succeed in post-secondary education goals aligned with clean air and public health. Yearly, PCA will offer one (1) or more scholarship award(s) in the amount of $2,500 to help with post-secondary education expenses. The scholarship(s) will be awarded in May, with a one (1)-time financial distribution occurring in August before the start of classes. To date, Partners for Clean Air has given away $32,000 in scholarships.

Qualifications

To be considered for a Partners for Clean Air Scholarship, applicants must:

1. Submit the Partners for Clean Air Scholarship Application by the deadline date (available on the IDEM Agency Forms page)
2. At the time of application, be a senior at a high school in Lake, Porter, or LaPorte counties, Indiana, and be on track to graduate
3. Have at least a 3.0 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)
4. Be attending an accredited college, university, or trade school in the following school year
5. Be pursuing an associate or bachelor’s degree or a minimum two (2)-year trade school certification or degree. Any applicant will be considered provided that the applicant demonstrates how their planned field of study supports the goals of Partners for Clean Air

Criteria Used for Awarding the Scholarship

Applications will be accepted beginning September 30, 2024. Applications must be submitted electronically to IDEMPartnersforCleanAir@idem.IN.gov. To be considered, applicants must meet the criteria identified above, with preference be given to students who have:

1. Engaged in community service
2. Participated in environmental programs or clubs
3. Demonstrated a sincere interest in improving air quality, as supported by the responses to the following questions in Narrative Responses section of the application
   1. Describe your involvement in community-based programs/organizations, environmental organizations, or clubs, highlighting any leadership roles in which you served
   2. Describe why clean air is important to you
   3. Provide at least three (3) ideas/concepts that you believe would help to reduce air pollution
   4. Explain how, after graduating from your college or trade school, you see yourself implementing and/or participating in activities -- work related or social -- that you believe will help keep our air clean, protect the environment and provide for a better quality of life
   5. Explain how you believe Northwest Indiana can achieve greater environmental justice and why doing so is important to you

Note: Indiana Department of Environmental Management, as coordinator of the Partners for Clean Air program, is collecting the applications. However, the scholarships are made available by the Partners for Clean Air Membership Program. The Partners for Clean Air Steering Committee will evaluate and select the scholarship recipient(s). Preference may be given to individuals pursuing a course of study in the environmental sciences.

Congratulations to our Past Scholarship Recipients

2024

Pictured (starting from left): Melanie DeVries, Hanover Central High School; Melissa Cook, Chesterton High School; Mackenzie Calinski, Lake Central High School.

2023

Pictured (starting from the left): Brayden Blouir, Chesterton High School; Kallum Timm, Michigan City High School

2022

Pictured (starting from the left): Miranda Bognar (Valparaiso High School), Greyson Lemmons (Morgan Township High School), Nathan Osborn (Chesterton High School)

2021

Pictured (starting from the left): Adelaide Young-Brust, South Central Jr.-Sr. High School (Union Mills); Quentin Funderburg, LaLumiere High School (LaPorte); Lucia Otten, Valparaiso High School

2020

Pictured (starting from the left): Abigail Glover, Valparaiso High School; Taryn Schermer, LaLumiere High School (LaPorte)