Andrew Bochnovich Wins SEEDS Scholarship

SEEDS awarded a $1000 scholarship recently to Andrew Bochnovich, a Honesdale High School senior, for his winning entry in our sustainability essay competition.

Students were asked: If you were an environmental adviser to the President, what would you recommend to promote sustainable energy in rural communities in the U.S.? What can northeastern PA residents do now to live more sustainably? (Read Andrew’s essay below.)

SEEDS received several good essays, but the selection committee unanimously chose Andrew as the winner.

Andrew, son of Peter and Amy Bochnovich,  was recently named Class Valedictorian. He has participated in a wide variety of activities including soccer, track and field, marching band, mathematics and chemistry, and drama. Andrew was also 2015’s Scholar of the Year, and served as president of the Honesdale’s chapter of the National Honor Society. Both the Wayne Independent and the Times Tribune have written recent articles about all the accomplishments of this intelligent, ambitious young man. Andrew will be attending the University of Delaware this fall.

But what you have to like about Andrew when you meet him, is his unassuming and friendly personality. When asked about what inspired him about conservation and sustainability, Andrew explained, “Just like I wrote in my essay… You’re not inheriting your parent’s world, you’re borrowing your children’s, and we have to make sure that our children and descendants will be able to live in a healthy world long after we are gone. If we think about future generations, it helps me think less about myself and more about others. The best way I can help others, is to take care of our world.”

This SEEDS scholarship was awarded, due to a very generous donation from SEEDS members, in memory of Michael “Jake” Burkhardt. Jake worked on the SEEDS energy assessment program last summer, and also accomplished a great deal at a young age, including significant environmental achievements.

Click to read: Andrew Bochnovich Sustainability Essay