Jennifer Necker. Photo by Tara Key
PEO CHAPTER AK News:
Jennifer Necker, Los Alamos High School senior, is the recipient of a 2017 STAR Scholarship. Nominated by Los Alamos PEO Chapter AK, Necker, who will graduate with honors, was successful in an extremely competitive, nation-wide field of applicants.
Recommended for her outstanding academic, leadership, extracurricular and service activities, Necker plans to study marine chemistry and environmental science at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. Her goal is to earn a doctoral degree.
Beyond this, she said, “My career aspirations include giving back to our planet. I plan to volunteer for a year or two either in the U.S. or abroad. I want to be part of an effort that makes a difference in promoting a healthy environment for all future generations to enjoy. Such an opportunity is more than just helping the environment, it is also learning about other cultures and helping people and animals. It is a chance to gain new and different perspectives.”
Necker has volunteered at the San San Pond Sak leatherback sea turtle refuge in Panama and completed a marine ecology course at the University of New England. Working toward her goals, she has interned at Los Alamos National Laboratory as part of a research team focused on development and characterization of polymeric membranes for high-temperature water desalinization.
Necker is a member of the National Honor Society. She has served her community by promoting responsible dog ownership and teaching dog training classes to children. Community projects through Girl Scout include making pillowcases for hospital patients and caps for newborns. A musician, Necker plays the oboe and participates in the Santa Fe Youth Symphony and holds a leadership position with that organization. Additional interests and activities include being a member of Los Alamos High School’s golf team and marching band and showing English Setters in both confirmation and agility.
The P.E.O. STAR Scholarship was established in 2009 to provide non-renewable $2,500 scholarships to exceptional high school graduating women to attend accredited post-secondary educational institutions in the United States and Canada in the fall following high school graduation.
Founded in 1869, PEO is one of the largest nonsectarian, community-based organizations with nearly 6,000 chapters and almost a quarter of a million members. It supports six philanthropies that include ownership of Cottey College, an independent liberal arts and sciences college for women in Nevada, Missouri. The remaining programs provide higher educational assistance through scholarships, grants, awards, and loans of which the STAR scholarship is one.
For more information about PEO, contact Nancy Coombs, ak.peo.nm@gmail.com.
