Twins Marilyn and Sinclaire Ogof win Lackawaxen River Conservancy Scholarships

Marilyn and Sinclaire Ogof, graduates of Western Wayne High School in Lake Ariel, have each won a 2020 Lackawaxen River Conservancy Scholarship.

The presentation of awards for 2020 graduating high school seniors was like no other year. Diplomas were presented in virtual ceremonies and students arrived by car to presentation podiums.

The Lackawaxen River Conservancy Scholarship awards of $500 could not be delivered in person. That task was given to the United States Postal Service. However, board members of the Conservancy were able to enjoy meeting Marilyn and Sinclaire via Zoom.

Marilyn and Sinclaire are looking forward to careers supporting environmental conservation. Marilyn plans to attend Juniata College and will major in Conservation and Wildlife Management in preparation for a career as a wildlife biologist. Caring for wildlife and protecting animal habitat has been an ongoing passion for Marilyn.

Sinclaire plans to attend Rochester Institute of Technology and will major in Public Policy and minor in Environmental Studies. She is looking forward to a career in which she plays a role in the creation of policy that will support change on a public and legal level to address global warming and the impact of energy use on the environment.

Marilyn and Sinclaire are stellar students. They have both taken highly demanding and rigorous programs including several AP classes with a heavy emphasis on math and science. Both graduated at the top of their class. Sinclaire was co-valedictorian.

Their extracurricular activities have focused on their environmental concerns. Sinclaire was a participant in the Wildlife Leadership Academy and a volunteer at the Lacawac Sanctuary. She has also spent a summer working with the Student Conservation Association as a crew member.

Marilyn has worked for the past two years for the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center in Stroudsburg and as a crew member for the Student Conservation Association.

Both girls have found time to participate in athletics as well. Marilyn was a member of the tennis team and served as its captain, in addition to participating in track and field. Sinclaire has participated in volley ball as well as tennis, and track and field.

This summer both Marilyn and Sinclaire are engaged in environmental work. Marilyn is working as an intern for the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center and is living on their campus in Stroudsburg. She performs intakes of animals, feeds them, and keeps their environment clean. Sinclaire is volunteering at the Lacawac Sanctuary collecting water samples on Lake Wallenpaupack. She is also caring for the chestnut trees that she planted at the sanctuary last year. She has already helped with a roadside cleanup and is helping the NEPA Audubon Society with their craft fair. In addition, she is helping the Lackawaxen River Conservancy update their website and increase their online presence by establishing a Facebook page.

Both Marilyn and Sinclaire have a deep devotion to protecting the earth. Their high school activities attest to their dedication to combating the forces working to endanger the health of our planet. Their future plans are further commitment of their time and talent to bringing about the changes that they hope to see in the care humanity takes of the natural world.