My name is Summer Short,

...and I am thrilled to be a recipient of the 2024 Grossman Scholarship.

In the fall of 2024, I will begin attending Colorado State University (CSU) to pursue a major in ecosystem science and sustainability through the Warner College of Natural Resources and a minor in entomology through the College of Agricultural Sciences. I will also be participating in CSU’s Honors Program. I have decided to pursue this degree in hopes of becoming a Colorado-based entomologist. My passion and commitment to caring for natural resources have been prevalent for as long as I can remember. As a little girl, my mother educated me on the importance of conservation and showed me how to love all things in nature. This reflected on my choices in school, and I began to grow passionate about advocating for protecting our environment. All of my school projects of choice in elementary and middle school revolved around natural resources; in third grade, I made a presentation on Jane Goodall and her life’s work, followed by a presentation in 4th grade on Maria Merian, an influential 15th-century entomologist and artist. I continued to focus my school projects on all things natural throughout high school and arranged a job shadow of two USDA Forest Service entomologists during my junior year. During this job shadow, I helped the entomologists track down the destructive mountain pine beetle and collected data on its whereabouts and the damage this species has caused to the forests of Colorado. While I had participated in job shadows before, this was the first time I had truly felt like I understood where I wanted my future path to lead and what type of impact I wanted to have on our environment. 

Over the years, my interest in connecting with nature and outdoor conversation led me to participate in a number of amazing volunteer experiences; however, volunteering through the Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado CAIRN program has been the most rewarding and educational. I have truly learned so much about teamwork, safety, and the outdoors through this program. CAIRN not only allowed me to perform outdoor stewardship and build connections with individuals with similar interests, but it also helped solidify my desire to major in natural resources in college. I want to educate others on the importance of insects and other arthropods, and I want my work in natural resources to contribute to bettering Colorado’s outdoors.

Receiving the Grossman Scholarship will allow me to move forward in my academic journey with less financial stress and to take full advantage of optional educational experiences. For example, the major I am pursuing at Colorado State University offers field experiences taught in their mountain campus as well as travel-abroad opportunities where students are able to learn hands-on in nature. This scholarship will help me to pay for not only my required tuition and fees at CSU, but also increases the likelihood that I can participate in these unique activities. In addition, this merit scholarship helps distinguish my resume and it is an honor to be recognized by Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado for my dedication to outdoor stewardship in Colorado and my desire for a future working to benefit my state’s natural resources. I am proud to be a part of Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, and I look forward to my continued service work in the outdoors and to contributing my leadership and advocacy to the future of Colorado’s natural resources.