Student awarded Make a Difference Scholarship to create digital environmental resources

Emma Stone, an outdoor education major from Kadoka, was named the 2020-21 Make a Difference Scholarship recipient at Black Hills State University. She will receive a $3,500 tuition scholarship and funding to create digital environmental resources for K-12 students.

Emma says she will pursue a career in environmental education after graduating from BHSU in 2021.

“I want to teach youth about the environment and how to appreciate nature. That’s my ideal job and it’s exactly what I’m doing with this project,” says Emma.

Beginning this month, Emma is working to develop and implement podcasts and interactive stories concerning environmental issues of the Black Hills for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. Emma will research environmental issues threatening the Black Hills and potential solutions.

“Emma is a great example of how to put one’s self in your stretch zone to care about something, try hard things, and persist,” says Dr. Chris McCart, assistant professor of outdoor education at BHSU.

In addition to her outdoor education coursework, Emma is drawing upon other BHSU experiences including her internship with BHSU Sustainability and her role as president of the Environmental Sustainability Student Organization (ESSO) for her project.

Emma’s podcasts for middle and high school students will promote critical thinking and problem solving, providing information on environmental issues such as pine beetle infestation and clean energy. The project will also encourage students to pursue their own research to provide solutions.

The interactive stories for kindergarten and elementary students will have read along and multi-sensory components including animal scat replicas, animal tracks, and different skulls for students to identify.

Emma plans to pilot the projects with teachers throughout the Black Hills.

“Working with the sustainability department on campus, I’ve had the opportunity to put on programs at BHSU and in middle school classrooms to teach students how to live a sustainable lifestyle,” says Emma. “I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to apply what I’ve learned and put my project into play making a difference in the Black Hills.”

About the Make a Difference Initiative
The Make a Difference Scholarship was founded in 2014 through a $1 million donation to BHSU by Dr. Jim Hess, professor of psychology at BHSU and business owner. In exchange for scholarship funds, students are challenged to plan and implement sustainable community projects designed to make a difference in the lives of others. Students receive $3,500 for tuition and up to $2,500 for student projects. The initiative is open to students in the BHSU School of Behavioral Sciences with declared major(s) in exercise science, human services, psychology, sociology, or outdoor education. More information on this scholarship can be found at www.BHSU.edu/MADI