Grace Johnson awarded 2019 Anne Murphy Ocean Stewards Scholarship

$1,500 scholarship presented at Port Townsend Marine Science Center annual meeting

On July 9 at its annual member meeting, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center announced the winner of the 2019 Anne Murphy Ocean Stewards Scholarship: Grace Johnson of Nordland, Wash.

 

Grace Johnson, recipient of the 2019 Anne Murphy Ocean Stewards Scholarship.

Johnson, a recent graduate of Chimacum High School, has volunteered in ecosystem projects in the local community and recently participated in the Northwest Watershed Institute’s “YES! Leaders Program,” a hands-on environmental education initiative. For the last year Johnson has volunteered at the PTMSC, caring for aquarium animals, cleaning tanks and interacting with the public.

“When I first became a member of the Youth Environmental Stewardship Program, our group attended a 30-minute class at the marine science center where several of the staff shared with us the importance of learning [about] the harmful chemicals that are ingredients in many consumer products that are being used in our everyday lives,” Johnson said.

“The information presented in this class was astounding, I realized how extensive the issue of toxic waste really was, not only to marine life, but to the animals and humans who inhabit the Earth as well,” she added.

Johnson was also a featured speaker at the annual PTMSC Benefit Dinner and Auction in March, where she inspired the audience with a story of her interaction with a young boy. 

Grace Johnson, speaking to the audience at the 2019 PTMSC Dinner & Auction on March 16.

“I told him that [sculpins] enjoy eating clams and small fish, that they prefer to live in inshore rocky and sandy areas, and how they usually swallow their food whole,” Johnson said. “As I saw his excitement, I realized in that moment that, just maybe, I had stirred a curiosity within him that just might develop into a life-long passion.”

A resident of Marrowstone Island, Johnson will attend Peninsula College in Port Angeles to obtain an Associates of Science Degree. She intends to use the $1,500 scholarship to supplement her tuition, books and room and board.

Her future plans?

“Although my future career path is not environmentally geared, I plan to continue to contribute in environmental conservation, specifically the marine environment by continuing to volunteer throughout college at centers, such as the Feiro Marine Life Center in Port Angeles, during my first two years of college, or possibly the Marine Life Center in Bellingham, while I finish my degree in kinesiology.

“By doing this,” Johnson said, “I can continue to gain and share my knowledge and experiences with others, in hopes of inspiring them to volunteer or even pursue a career in this area.”

She added: “Once my schooling is complete, and I’ve started my career, I plan to attend the Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s annual fundraising event where I can donate to the program that helped me discover my new found love for marine life.”

The PTMSC awards the Anne Murphy Ocean Stewardship Scholarship annually to an East Jefferson County student or graduate who embodies the values that Murphy demonstrated in her 24 years as the organization’s executive director: curiosity, wonder and love of the marine environment.