One way the Friends of Oregon Ridge promotes environmental stewardship is through its annual scholarship program. For the past 31 years, the Oregon Ridge Nature Center Council which which has changed it name to the Friends of Oregon Ridge has awarded college scholarships to graduating seniors from Baltimore County and Baltimore City who plan to major in environmental studies.
At the Friends of Oregon Ridge Annual Meeting in June, we introduced our Class of 2025 scholarship recipients. Those eight students will divide a total of $44,000 from our scholarship fund to put toward their freshman year expenses.
The awards went to students from:
- Parkville High School
- Sparrows Point Environmental Science Magnet Program
- Western Tech
- Baltimore City College High School (two recipients)
- Dulaney High School
- Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
- Baltimore City’s School for the Arts
Who will continue their studies at:
- Garrett Community College
- St. Mary’s College of Maryland (two recipients)
- UMBC
- State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY)
- Washington College
- Smith College
- University of Maine
All of them impressed the committee with their extracurricular activities focused on protecting the natural world through education, research and advocacy.
Applications for the 2026 Friends of Oregon Ridge Scholarship will be available via our website in December and the deadline will be in early March 2026. To be eligible, graduating seniors in Baltimore County and Baltimore City must have a 3.0 GPA and plan to major in environmental studies or nature education. Volunteering at Oregon Ridge is a great way to demonstrate a commitment to preserving nature. If you would like to learn more or to donate to our Scholarship Fund, visit https://www.friendsoforegonridge.org/scholarships/