Marco Shell Club Scholarships and Grants

This year, the Marco Island Shell Club awarded $20,000 to several deserving students dedicated to marine sciences and conservation and to younger students participating in Education Activities relating to marine interests. 

Marco Island Shell Club has two endowed scholarships at Florida Gulf Coast University. An additional $2,000 was added to each of the endowment amounts.

Isabel Kacprowski, a senior studying red tide and organic contaminants, was awarded the undergraduate scholarship. She cares for the invertebrate tanks at the Water School. She plans to continue to get a master’s degree in marine sciences and to remain in Florida.

The graduate scholarship was awarded to Celina Ceballos. She has been studying Diamondback Terrapins, Gopher Tortoises, and Sea Turtles. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. with the goal of advancing the preservation and understanding of endangered species and ecosystems.

Two $5,000 scholarships were awarded to FGCU students. 

Zoe Szabo is pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in marine sciences. She plans to use underwater photography to assist in the understanding and importance of protecting and conserving marine life. She works with  Collier County on its

Sea Turtle Research Project. 

Macy Noll spent time as a child on Marco Island, exploring in and out of the water. She has a double major in Art and Biology and is studying tiny coral creatures. A color and activity book focused on coastal ecology for children was created by Macy.

Stephanie Sanders, studying at the University of South Florida, was awarded a $1,957 grant for the study of Seagrass Resilience through the Study of Whelk Predation on Clams. 

Mollusks on the Move, a program from Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, brings live mollusks directly to the students. A grant of $5,000 will bring this program to two kindergarten classrooms serving about 170 children.

A grant of $1,525 for educational activities was awarded to Friends of Rookery Bay.

We are very proud and encouraged by these exceptional students who are interested in protecting our coastal environment and the creatures that live on and in it.