Tolland Garden Paths Awards First scholarship

Tolland Garden Paths has announced that its first student scholarship has been awarded to to Melissa Noryk.  

Noryk is a 2013 graduate of Tolland High School and will be studying at the University of Connecticut. She has been accepted into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and will major in Environmental Sciences, according to a TGP announcement. 

Her long-term goals include becoming an environmental consultant and eventually working with organizations to help them reduce their pollution and its negative impact on our environment, according to a TGP announcement. 

Noryk was inspired to pursue this educational path during her AP Biology class at Tolland High School when a unit on ecology sparked her interest.  She gives credit to her Biology teacher, John Powell, for bringing his knowledge and enthusiasm to the subject. 

The scholarship, valued at $500, was established with funds raised through the July 2012 TGP Backyard Garden Tour, in which eight Tolland gardens were showcased and opened to the public for tours. 

To be eligible for the scholarship applicants had to be in their senior year at Tolland High School and planning to pursue higher education in the natural sciences, environmental sciences or agriculture. TGP President Sheila Ciccone said that the club hopes to make the scholarship available annually to a graduating senior.