EESI Announces Recipients of 2024 Future Climate Leaders Scholarship

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) congratulates Thurston Brown of South Carolina, Leonni Burton of Pennsylvania, and Kaila White of Georgia, the 2024 recipients of EESI's Future Climate Leaders Scholarship. They will each receive $4,000 for their college tuition this academic year.

Thurston Brown has a passion for research with a view to “creating and maintaining a sustainable, resilient, and more equitable world.” A sophomore student at Virginia State University double majoring in Animal Science and Biology, his goal is to become a veterinarian or research scientist focusing on the agricultural sciences. He is especially interested in how climate change affects rural communities. Brown is a World Food Prize Borlaug Scholar, a Booker T. Washington 2021 Award Recipient, and a member of the National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences.

Leonni Burton wants to work at the intersection of law and psychology to advocate for environmental policy. During her psychology studies at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, she realized that “addressing environmental challenges requires not only sound policies but also an understanding of human behavior and the factors that drive or hinder sustainable choices. Whether encouraging sustainable consumption, promoting renewable energy adoption, or addressing climate anxiety, psychology plays a pivotal role in shaping effective policy strategies.”

Kaila White is highly conscious of the threat posed by climate change and wants to “facilitate the innovation and expansion of clean energy.” She is majoring in Chemical Engineering, with a concentration in environmental studies and a minor in history, at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is on the Dean’s list, the Chancellor’s list, and in the Honors program. “I plan to dedicate my knowledge and research to the continued development of green technologies, allowing for the widespread adoption of affordable and accessible clean energy to make a significant global impact,” said White.

“I’d like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Thurston, Leonni, and Kaila, our future climate leaders of 2024,” said EESI Board Chair Jared Blum. “I’m very proud that EESI is doing its part to make the environmental field more representative and diverse. It will only make the field stronger and more effective.”

“We received more than 80 applications, and it was a struggle to pick just three recipients for our scholarship,” said EESI Board Vice Chair Linda Church-Ciocci, who also chairs the EESI board committee on diversity, equity, and inclusion. “At EESI, we are truly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion—it’s part of our DNA.”

As part of its commitment to promote and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, EESI launched a scholarship for Future Climate Leaders in November 2021. Every year, EESI awards $4,000 each to three undergraduate students pursuing studies relevant to environmental, clean energy, and climate policy at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the mid-Atlantic or southern region. The EESI Future Climate Leaders Scholarship program is managed by UNCF (United Negro College Fund), a philanthropic organization that has raised more than $5 billion since 1944 to provide financial support to its 37 member HBCUs and to fund scholarships and other academic support programs for talented, deserving students.

Applications for the next scholarship award will open in spring 2024 for the fall semester. More information and deadlines for upcoming awards will be posted online.

Learn more about EESI's commitment to promote and advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

ABOUT US

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (www.eesi.org) is an independent nonprofit advancing science-based solutions for climate change, energy, and environmental challenges. Founded on a bipartisan basis by members of Congress, EESI has been informing policymakers and the American public about the benefits of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and environmental conservation since 1984. In 1988, EESI declared that all energy policy must be examined through a climate lens, which has since guided us toward our vision: a sustainable, resilient, and equitable world. EESI receives no congressional funding and is supported through contributions and grants.

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20% of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on X at @UNCF.