CIRCAC announces 2019 Scholarship awards

April 22, 2019—Kenai, Alaska—Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (CIRCAC) has awarded scholarships to two students from the Cook Inlet area to help them pursue their goals. Now in its fifth year, CIRCAC’s Scholarship Program has to date awarded $25,000 to encourage aspiring Cook Inlet students to pursue their goals in environmental, maritime and technical studies to benefit Cook Inlet’s future.

This year’s James Carter Memorial Scholarship for Environmental Sciences is going to Alie Minium, a 2019 Nikiski High School graduate. Ms. Minium is the daughter of Henia and Duke Minium. Her honors and activities include President of the National Honor Society, Vice President and Student Vice President of the Student Council, 2016 Student of the Year, co-founder of a weekly bible study group, and Salamatof student representative for the Kenaitze Housing Board. She has coached cross country skiing, and also excels in dance and equestrian sports. Alie aspires to work in disaster relief and environmental education. She plans to attend California Baptist University.

Christopher Knox is a 2019 graduate of King Tech High School in Anchorage. He is the son of Peter and Kazumi Knox. Mr. Knox excels in soccer and track and field and has won awards in logic, Latin, and the National Mythology Exam and was voted Student of the Semester for engineering design in the 12th Grade. Christopher’s goal is to be an innovator of sustainable technology to improve energy efficiency in technology and he plans to attend the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

CIRCAC’s Scholarship Committee, comprised of Board Director Carla Stanley and public committee members Rick Frederic (Environmental Monitoring Committee) and Captain Bob Pawlowski, (Prevention, Response, Operations and Safety Committee), made the selections based on the applicants’ stated goals, resumes, references, transcripts and essays. This year’s recipients represent the first scholarships awarded to King Tech and Nikiski Schools.

“I think we all believe that these students are really special and unbelievably well prepared,” said Carla Stanley who represents the City of Homer. “The interviews made it even harder to choose.”

CIRCAC is a federally mandated citizens’ organization, formed under the Federal Oil

Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA90). Its mission is to represent the citizens of Cook Inlet in promoting environmentally safe marine transportation and oil facility operations. In pursuing this mandate, the Council strives to help protect Cook Inlet’s environment, fisheries, economic vitality, cultural resources and recreational interests.

Contact: Lynda Giguere, Director of Public Outreach, 907-398-6205 or giguere@circac.org.