Girls Gone Great Grant
Elsa Schoberg
2020-21 Grace Erline Memorial
Girls Gone Great Scholarship Recipient
Class of 2021, Westminster High School
“After receiving some training, the Environmental Action Club [founded by Elsa] began a formal biological survey of Copps Branch. We found a few healthy, fast-moving riffles, which are rocky areas that help oxygenate the stream. But, overall, the stream was sluggish and brown—with far too many unshaded areas and very few living organisms. Over the next few months, the EAC came up with a three-step plan to help Copps Branch recover from the decades of damage. First, we would ask the residents around the park to stop using fertilizer on their lawns. Second, we would plant trees along the stream to provide it with some much-needed shade. Third, we would ask the city to stop mowing the grass so close to the stream, which would create a larger riparian buffer of natural vegetation to prevent pollutants from draining into the water. Last fall, I presented our plan to the Westminster City Council. And, thankfully, they approved it.
Granted, the pandemic has slowed down our efforts somewhat. But I’ve come to realize that, like our stream, the EAC and I will experience riffles in our journey too. And these riffles actually strengthen and invigorate us. I’ve also come to realize that seeing and naming all the things in the world around me isn’t always enough. It’s taking action that truly makes a difference.”
Live An Amazing Life Grant
Kristin Mussman
2020-21 Grace Erline Memorial
Live An Amazing Life Scholarship Recipient
Class of 2021, Loch Raven High School
“In 2015 I traveled to Finland, my Grandmother’s birthplace, for the first time. As soon as I went, I knew I‘d like to be there for an extended period. I decided I wanted to travel to Finland after high school graduation and stay with family. I will receive my Maryland high school diploma in May 2021, but in Finland students who are 18 are in their last year of secondary school so being an exchange student without needing to worry about transfer credits is very appealing. Going to school as an exchange student will allow me to experience a different school system and culture while meeting people my age.
Having an adventure has a lot to do with experiencing the small, simple elements of life. Some might think it has more to do with seeing famous monuments or historical sites (and those are part of it), but I want to experience the everyday things and to know what it is truly like to be a part of a different culture and grow in that way.”
Special Award Recipient
Alyssa Petroff
2021 Grace Erline Memorial
Special Grant Recipient
University of Baltimore, 2017
J.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts, 2022
“It has been 12 years since I was diagnosed with cancer and 17 years since I was on my own in high school. My journey over these years has been incredibly difficult to say the least, but I am grateful for all that I have learned about myself and life.
Cancer could have taken everything from me, but after treatment, I realized it was cancer that taught me how to build a community of support, to have the courage to face my fears, to advocate for myself, and to never stop following my dreams. I learned to stop waiting for the future to arrive, to build my own self-confidence rather than rely on circumstances to feel good about myself, and to see humor and good in everything. Survivorship changed my dreams, as well as my approach to life. When I started giving back to the cancer community, I found a passion for being of service to others.…Sharing my story meant accepting my story and empowering others to accept theirs. Through creating spaces and opportunities for people to share their experiences, I learned the value of setting aside my own needs to support someone else.
I have finally been able to prioritize my education, balancing my career with school and volunteering. After finishing my undergraduate degree, I enrolled in the Masters of Legal and Ethical Studies program at the University of Baltimore. It was in this program that I decisively found my academic strength and demonstrated, for the first time, what I am capable of when my studies are balanced with a career. I am now ready for a full career change, and going to law school is the next in that process.
Because of my sheer determination and desire for growth, my life has surpassed what I imagined to be possible that day my mother asked me to find a place to live. I could have allowed near homelessness at 16 or cancer at 20 defeat me, but I have repeatedly refused to be the victim of the circumstances of my life. It is this persistence and tenacity that I will apply to my study and practice of the law.”