Scholarship Helps Student Pursue Dream

Paige LaPlant

For UNI senior Paige LaPlant, the Science, Technology and Mathematics Scholarship in Earth Science not only made education affordable, it set her on course to her dream career.

Since part of that dream involved graduate school, Paige needed to study abroad. That led her to Auckland, New Zealand. But she didn’t get there on her own—not with the high cost of living in New Zealand. Through UNI’s study abroad program, Paige received the Robert Eller Scholarship, which helped pay for her room and board for a semester.

“This trip became one of the most important experiences of my career. It set the stage for my curiosity of volcanoes,” Paige says.

Through the Wayne and Jan Anderson Summer Geology Field Camp Award, Paige was exposed to the wonders of volcanoes in the Andes. That experience cemented her goal to study volcanology.

“Because of these scholarships,” Paige says, “I grew as a person and as a geologist. I hope my story shows the ripple effect of one scholarship.”

Be the one who makes a difference for students like Paige. Contact Jane Halverson at (319) 273-4665 or jane.halverson@uni.edu to learn about your giving options today.