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Executive Director
Tommy Thompson
24 NW 33rd Court, Suite A
Gainesville, FL 32607
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FOWA Scholarship
a Win-Win Situation

 Sometimes a winner is easy to spot, as was the case with Elena Velkov, the 2004 recipient of FOWA’s Roy Martin Scholarship for Outdoor Communicators. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida in April, 2005 majoring in journalism.
 
When asked how significant the FOWA scholarship was in supporting her studies, she said, “I have the greatest appreciation for such a wonderful opportunity. It was really great to receive such generous support for my education.” Following graduation, Elena traveled in Europe for six weeks, visiting Spain, Portugal, Greece including her father’s birthplace, Macedonia. For the summer she returned to Gainesville where she is writing freelance for the Gainesville Sun, where she interned previously as a student.
 
 For the foreseeable future, Elena will remain busy. She has joined AmeriCorps and, beginning in September she will spend a year with this Corporation for National and Community Service. (AmeriCorps members recruit, train, and supervise community volunteers, tutor and mentor youth, build affordable housing, teach computer skills, clean parks and streams, run after-school programs, help communities respond to disasters, and build the capacity of nonprofit groups to become self-sustaining, among many other activities.)

 Elena is proud to have been selected as the recipient of the Roy Martin Scholarship for Outdoor Communicators. FOWA members can be proud to have supported such an aspiring outdoor writer and high-achiever.

Elena’s Article . . .

A writer has no greater inspiration than the outdoors. Henry David Thoreau wrote countless pieces about the tranquility and personal growth that came from Walden Pond. However, my love for and words about the outdoors take shape in a different way—protecting it. The time I have spent interning this summer, my career goals, and my everyday life demonstrate my appreciation for the outdoors and my ambition to protect it.

This summer, I am interning at an environmentally focused magazine based out of Chicago. The magazine is called Conscious Choice, and it has a circulation of approximately 100,000. My role as an intern consists of researching and reporting short articles for the section called, “Choice News.” Some of my articles in the past have been about the alternative energy of Mendota Hills Wind Farm in northern Illinois, the Cook County Forest Preserve that is being encroached upon, and an organic farm co-op’s building that is made almost completely of recycled and environmentally conscious materials. My feature article, which comes to approximately 1,500 words, is about the pollution of the Chicago River. All of the articles I write at Conscious Choice focus on sustainable growth and an appreciation for the land and the creatures of it.

In the future, I hope to pursue a graduate degree that focuses on environmental journalism. British playwright Tom Stoppard once said, “If your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate, short-term weapon.” Journalism provides an outlet to inform the public about important issues that will affect the future of America’s outdoors. Plus, writing pieces that may make people rethink their actions is very fulfilling. The University of California at Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and New York University all have graduate programs geared toward environmental journalism, and they are my top three choices for graduate school.

Besides my current and future plans, the way I live my life represents my ambition to protect the environment. I do my best to alter my everyday actions to make a difference. I ride the train an hour each way to work instead of driving. When I drive, I opt for carpooling. I chose not to sign at an apartment complex in Gainesville that did not recycle. I have a rule that I have to pick up at least one piece of garbage every day. Though my actions are seemingly small, many friends have told me that they have altered their lifestyle to be more conscious minded.

Besides striving to protect it, my love for the outdoors can be seen in my love for travel. In the past, I explored the caves of Camuy, Puerto Rico, I hiked the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, I spent time at a bay in Croatia where there was no civilization or electricity for miles around, I rode gondolas through the canals of Venice, and I jet skied on the French Riviera. The breathtaking nature around the world has so much to offer, I plan to spend my life exploring it. The next trip I am planning is backpacking Southeast Asia for graduation this spring.

 Clearly, I have high hopes for what I can accomplish and a strong drive to pursue both a career and spare time geared toward the outdoors.

   Elena Velkov