| Spotlight on Success: How LSRPA Foundation Scholarships Helped Shape Two Environmental Careers |
| Sunday, November 17, 2024 02:07 PM |
Since 2015, the LSRPA Foundation (and the LSRP Association before the Foundation existed) has awarded scholarships to dozens of students throughout the State of New Jersey. These students have ranged from first- and second-year students at community colleges to Ph.D. candidates. What they had in common was a level of high achievement and a passion for the sciences. Let’s meet two young professionals who won scholarships in 2020. Melissa Feury is now finishing her tenth year as an environmental consultant with Matrix New World Engineering. She was working full-time and getting her master’s degree at night when she won an Elmeryl Davies Memorial Scholarship. “Winning the scholarship lifted a burden off of my shoulders,” a theme commonly heard from scholarship awardees. After earning her M.S., she decided to give back to the LSRPA by joining the College Outreach Committee, which runs the scholarship program. Her favorite committee activity is providing career advice to college students, as she and fellow committee member Kim Skibo did at Rutgers-New Brunswick on October 15. They were filling a hole, since undergraduate students often have little knowledge about the field of environmental consulting. “I love talking to students. I love being a resource. If I can help anybody in their career search, I want to be a part of it.”  Like Ms. Feury, Matt Forshay was working full-time and getting his master’s degree at night when he was awarded the Elmeryl Davis Memorial scholarship. Soon after receiving his master’s degree from NJIT, he passed the P.E. exam, and currently is a remediation engineer at Haley & Aldrich. With four young children to raise, the scholarship money helped Matt and his wife juggle their many responsibilities. He regularly attends classes offered by the LSRPA, especially those providing regulatory updates. “Since most of my work is in New Jersey, keeping up with regulatory trends is an integral part of my job.”Ms. Feury also has taken many courses provided by the LSRPA and plans to become an LSRP. “I love learning. I enjoy the problem solving and the critical thinking that comes with being an environmental consultant in New Jersey.” The LSRPA Foundation is proud of Ms. Feury and Mr. Forshay, and the role it has played in helping them reach their potential. |