Joshua Pittendreigh, a senior Captive Wildlife Care and Education major, has been awarded one of two undergraduate scholarships from the National Association for Interpretation, the leading professional organization dedicated to interpreting the natural and cultural resources of our world.
The scholarship will enable Pittendreigh to attend the NAI National Conference in Corpus Christi, Texas, all expenses paid, in November.
Attended by nearly 1,000 interpretive professionals from across the country and the world, Pittendreigh will have the chance to participate in workshops, network with hundreds, hear keynote speakers, and represent Unity College on the national stage. The application process was extremely competitive, with only four students — two undergraduates and two graduates — receiving scholarships from hundreds of applications.
Pittendreigh, of Exeter, N.H., is the sixth Unity student to receive the award in the past 10 years, joining Tim Cassidy ‘06, Joy Kacoroski ‘13, Lucero Torres ‘14, Laura Parmenter ‘17, and Laurel Sullivan ‘18.
“Josh is a dedicated student who takes full advantage of the numerous local, regional, and national partnerships Unity College has forged for our students,” Unity College President Dr. Melik Peter Khoury said. “We’re proud to offer our students real-world opportunities, like professional networking and internships, that very often result in job offers even before graduation.”
“The field of interpretation is highly important to me, because I want people to be connected to the resources that I care so much about, may it be an animal or the habitat it belongs to,” Pittendreigh said. “This award will provide me the opportunity to build upon the skills involved in the field of interpretation by networking and listening to professionals who share the same goals as I do. I especially believe their inspiration will fuel the fire for me to make the steps toward making those goals obtainable.”
“This is a great opportunity for Josh to see first hand experts in the field of interpretation,” said Tom Mullin, Associate Professor of Parks and Forest Resources and a member of the NAI Board of Directors. “With more than 150 workshops and speakers, he will definitely be adding to his tool kit for his career in environmental interpretation.”
The National Association for Interpretation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the profession of heritage interpretation, serving nearly 6,000 members in the United States, Canada, and 30 other nations who work at parks, museums, nature centers, zoos, botanical gardens, aquariums, historical and cultural sites, commercial tour companies, and theme parks.
