Donate to the Rising Star Student Scholarship Fund:
Help foster the industry’s future trailblazers by donating to the Rising Star: Offshore Wind Scholarship fund. Donations range from $500 to $10,000. More information is available on the donation form.
Join us in congratulating our 2024 Rising Star Student Scholarship recipients!
Oceantic Network’s Rising Star Student Scholarship is awarded each year to college-bound high school seniors who have demonstrated impeccable academic achievement and a keen interest in pursuing a career in offshore wind and ocean renewables energy. Each scholarship award will be for a total of $5,000, which must be used toward tuition fees.
Winners of the 2024 Rising Star Student Scholarship:
Shelby Huffaker attended Smithfield High School in Virginia, where she was a part of Green Club, Operation Smile, Girls Lead Offshore Wind, and a member of the Student Advisory Council. Shelby has been competing in the KidWind competitions for 2 years, and in 2023, her team won the instant challenge for an offshore wind turbine design at the Nationals in Boulder, Colorado. In the fall, Shelby plans to attend Old Dominion University.
Alyssa Taub attended New Jersey’s East Brunswick High School. During her time there, she was the Board Secretary for Mu Alpha Theta (National Math Honor Society), a member of Girls Who Code, and a Board Treasurer for the Jewish Student Union. Her academics focused heavily on STEM courses, where she found a strong interest in renewable energy. Alyssa plans to continue her education at The Cooper Union, where she will pursue an undergraduate civil engineering degree.
Mariah Hicks attended Southaven High School. Her interest in renewable energy began with her involvement in the Environmentalist Club, where she served as president for two years. Mariah led her team to the state competition, where they leveraged understanding of offshore wind initiatives to represent the objectives of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Mississippi project. She aspires to become a policy and evaluation analyst for National Grid, and plans to continue her education further at Spelman College
Student Eligibility & Criteria:
Applications for the 2024 cycle are now closed.
- A high school student currently in their senior year intending to enroll full time in a two or four-year college or university
- Demonstrates excellent academic achievement and community service
- Involvement in school projects related to any aspect of offshore wind energy/ ocean renewables, and/or an internship working with companies involved the offshore wind/ ocean renewables industry
- Applicants are judged by academic industry leaders and Network Board members based on their interest in pursuing a career in offshore wind/ ocean renewables, academic achievement, and financial need
2024 Rising Star Scholarship Judges:
Jay Borkland
Kevin Pearce
Tony Appleton
Zach Skelton
Matt Palmer