Catlin Carrico of Swanton, Maryland, was selected for the 2013 Scott-McKenna Scholarship award, according to scholarship chair Mike Hammond. Hammond said she was chosen from among numerous highly-qualified candidates based not only on the merit of her application but what those she listed as personal references had to say about her. Catlin graduated from West Virginia University majoring in agriculture education and is now working on her master’s degree at the same school. She holds a 3.56 GPA and also held a job at a local business and has done volunteer work. Hammond said that Catlin has a bond with the outdoors through her upbringing and way of life in the Swanton, Maryland area, and when she completes her education she plans to teach at the high school level.
One person she listed as a reference had this to say: “Cat is one of those go-to individuals that puts a spin on life in a way that young people like, and that spin makes them want to learn all they can from her.” Hammond said he asked Catlin what made her think she was eligible for a scholarship offered by an outdoor writing and photography group, and without hesitation she said, “Almost everything I will teach has to be illustrated, either by words or through visual presentation, and I want those words and visual presentations to be mine, when they can be.” He added that Catlin also commented that modern-day agriculture and the wild outdoors sleep in the same bed and depend on each other. She told Hammond that she hopes to do her part in the preservation of the outdoors, through wise use and modern day agricultural practices she plans to teach.
In her scholarship application Ms. Carrico wrote, “I have always loved the arts. It has been a passion of mine since I was very young, always having a pencil in hand drawing. In high school and now through college that passion has turned to photography and I always have a camera in hand. Agriculture is very involved with the outdoors and conservation; it isn’t just cows, sows, and plows, it’s a broad spectrum from livestock production to landscaping and recreation. As a part of agriculture education, we strive to promote conservation and preservation of the outdoors through sound agriculture practices. I plan on using my own photographs as much as I can in my lessons as a high school agriculture teacher.”