(FAIRBANKS, Alaska) — Crowley Fuels has awarded $10,000 in Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarships to four University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) students: Keenan Sanderson, Gabe Smith and twin brothers Carlton and Kendrick Hautala. Chosen for their academic achievements and meeting other scholarship criteria, each student received $2,500 toward his tuition from Crowley.
Crowley’s financial support, administered by the UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, can be used toward any area of study, and preference is given to recipient students from Crowley-served rural communities throughout the state, including Aniak, Bethel, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Fort Yukon, Galena, Glennallen, Hooper Bay, Juneau, Kenai, Ketchikan, Kotzebue, Naknek, Nenana, Nome, Palmer, St. Mary’s, Talkeetna, Valdez and Wasilla.
"Crowley is proud to contribute to the academic success of these highly-motivated UAF students,” said Crowley’s Jasper Hall, vice president, highway petroleum distribution. “Established in 2010, this program continues to support students who are committed to pursuing higher education as a means to help their communities and Alaska. Each of these recipients is passionate about maintaining our state’s natural resources, an endeavor that Crowley is pleased to support.”
Sanderson, class of 2019, of Ketchikan, is pursuing a fisheries and ocean sciences degree, and is next considering earning a master’s degree and possibly a doctoral degree in a related field. A current member of the American Fisheries Society, he has also participated in two internships, including one with the Hydaburg Cooperative Association, to research sockeye salmon escapement from hatcheries. He intends to take part in an undergraduate research program with the Deer Mountain Hatchery in Ketchikan to explore fishery feeding strategies and efficiencies. After he completes his academic studies, Sanderson plans to pursue a career in the Alaska fisheries industry.
Smith, class of 2019, of Nome, is majoring in wildlife biology with a minor in fisheries. He said his academic pursuits, as well as his experience as a fisheries technician for Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation, are preparing him for his goal of a future career with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Smith also has a passion for hunting and fly fishing, and is working towards earning his private pilot’s license, which he says will allow him to more readily conduct wildlife surveys.
Carlton Hautala, class of 2018, of Kwethluk (near Bethel), is currently pursuing a fisheries degree as well as his private pilot’s license. Prior to attending the University, he earned college credits through the Rural Alaska Honors Institute and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, and for the past four summers has worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, where he was recently promoted to crew leader for the Lower Kuskokwim River Tagging project. After graduation, Hautala is considering a career as a fisheries biologist along the Kuskokwim River or a wildlife enforcement officer for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Bethel or Fairbanks, locations that allow him to maintain his subsistence lifestyle.
Kendrick Hautala, class of 2018, also of Kwethluk, is pursuing a natural resource management degree at UAF. Before attending the university, Hautala also took advantage of educational summer sessions offered by the Rural Alaska Honors Institute and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program for college credits, allowing him to develop his career opportunities in resource management. After graduation, he intends to settle down near his home in the Yukon Delta area, or possibly Juneau or Sitka, to secure a job managing the region’s natural resources.
