Two Unity College undergraduates were awarded Nicholas Holt Challenge Scholarships to undertake a wide range of research and internship opportunities.

The Fall 2015 Nicholas Holt Challenge Scholarship recipients are:

• Jennifer Meineke ’17, a Wildlife Biology major, of Ansonia, Conn., who received $700 in scholarship funding for her study of northern red squirrels in Unity Forest on the Unity College campus.

• Brian Eaton ’16, a Wildlife and Fisheries Management major of Hudson, Mass., who received $675 in scholarship funding for his “Investigation of Stickleback Phenotypic Anatomy in Central Maine.”

“These students embody what a Unity education is all about,” Unity College Chief Academic Officer and President-elect Dr. Melik Peter Khoury said. “They’re doing on-the-ground research and internships that will give them tools they need to excel in next-generation careers while yielding valuable, actionable information that will lead to real change.”

Established at Unity College in 2010, the Nicholas Holt Challenge Scholarship Fund is a gift made possible by the Holt family in collaboration with the Maine Community Foundation. The purpose of the fund is to support juniors and seniors in challenging, experiential learning projects that are self-initiated, curriculum-based and approved by an academic advisor.

Unity College was a major interest in Nick Holt’s life since 1973; he spent more than 20 years working toward accreditation of its strong environmental teaching program.  Holt was an architect, family man, befriender of strangers, Army veteran and marcher on Washington, and sailor, and a lover of color, trees and light.

“The college is very pleased to continue playing a role in honoring the passion and commitment Nicholas Holt had for the students of Unity College,” said Julie Briggs Cunningham, director of college development and alumni affairs.  “He and his family have made an incredible impact on the lives of our students through their support of this scholarship fund. And Unity College is grateful to be a part of a program that provides students with unique opportunities that would otherwise not be possible.”

Interviews with the students, and further detail on each of the students’ specific internship and research positions, are available by contacting the associate director of media relations.