Waltham Resident Wins $26K Henry David Thoreau Scholarship

WALTHAM, MA — A Waltham resident has won a $26,000 Thoreau Scholarship to study a subject related to the environment in college.

Michael A. Parent, a graduate of Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, is entering college at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana this fall, where he intends to major in Environmental Science.

The scholarship, named for the 19th century naturalist and author Henry David Thoreau, is a prestigious award given annually to only eight Massachusetts high school seniors.

Parent credits his environmental science teacher T. J. Manning for encouraging his students to explore their interests and his X-Ploration Center teacher Ryan Howard for helping him build an aquaponic system.

Aquaponic systems attempt to create more sustainable agriculture by reducing the input of fertilizer and water while also increasing the yield on smaller areas of land, Parent said. This is done by growing plants above a fish tank cycling the water between the two zones allowing for the transfer of nutrients and oxygen between the organisms.

Finding the Mother Tree by forest ecologist Suzanne Simard is another source of Parent’s inspiration. He would like to follow her example on overcoming obstacles and sustaining the environment.

High school seniors awarded the Thoreau Scholarship can enroll in any college and university in the world while they major or minor in an environmentally-related field. Thoreau Scholars are encouraged to enroll in internships or study abroad to broaden their awareness and understanding of environmental issues.

The Thoreau Foundation further assists scholarship winners by identifying environmentally-related internships, offering internship stipends, and providing networking opportunities.

To learn more about the Henry David Thoreau Foundation and the Thoreau Scholarship, visit thoreauscholar.org. Scholarship applications open October 15 with a February 1 deadline.