New Endowment: FHL ADOPT– A –STUDENT ENDOWED FUND
By Rachel Anderson, FHL Assistant Director for Advancement
The FHL Adopt-a-Student Program changes lives. Quite simply, without this important scholarship program, many qualified students could not attend a course at Friday Harbor Labs. In addition to offering much-needed financial assistance, a delightful aspect of this program is that it presents the opportunity for students and sponsors to meet one another. Not all participants are able to take advantage of this opportunity, but those who meet are always greatly rewarded by the experience.
Flo McAlary with her adopted student Jenna Sullivan from Oregon State University,
who took Larval Biology at FHL in summer 2014.
Because the Adopt-a-Student Program is a key source of FHL financial aid, you may have noticed that we regularly feature articles about it in our publications. Over the years you have undoubtedly read a column or two by Dr. Flo McAlary, scientist and FHL Advancement Board Member, who has a long-standing commitment to this important program. Flo has supported many students over the years and keeps in touch with them long after they leave Friday Harbor. This past winter, Flo went even further with her commitment to this program. She very generously established an endowment to support the program into the future: the FHL Adopt-a-Student Endowed Fund. Now, we encourage others to support the Adopt-a-Student Program's annual fund and to also make a second gift to this new endowment. In the short term, we hope to grow the endowment to fully support at least one student per year.
Flo McAlary is a natural mentor for young scientists. For 23 years, she taught community college and spent several years afterwards as a research associate working with and teaching undergraduate and graduate students at USC’s Wrigley Marine Science Center, on Catalina Island in Southern California. Flo and her husband, Dr. William “Mac” McFarland, retired to San Juan Island in 1995. Flo feels that at FHL they found a very special combination of intellect, opportunity for research, and commitment to science excellence. In 2006, Flo had the opportunity to contribute to a FHL Research Apprenticeship in visual ecology. That teaching experience at FHL confirmed her dedication to ensure that the FHL experience matched the brightest young minds with opportunities to experience cutting edge marine science.
Student evaluations from FHL courses and research apprenticeships recant over and over again how much impetus and motivation are gleaned from this "life changing" experience. The Adopt-A-Student Program provides not only financial support to deserving student applicants, both local and international, but also fosters a sense of community and communication with student sponsors. The FHL Adopt-A-Student Endowed Fund is a means to continue that connection in perpetuity, and we are most grateful to Flo for her vision and her generosity.
Please consider donating to the AAS Program Fund and/or the FHL Adopt-a-Student Endowed Fund.
