Evan DesJardins Awarded 2015 Laura Wilcox Scholarship

Evan DesJardins, a recent Nevada Union graduate, is the 2015 recipient of the Laura Wilcox Scholarship.  Each year, a scholarship is awarded in honor of Laura, who was tragically killed in a shooting at the Nevada County Behavioral Health Facility in early 2001.  Upon graduating, Laura herself had been presented a grant by the Sierra Club, an award she earned for writing an essay on restoring salmon to the Yuba River.  After her death, the Sierra Club donated her scholarship monies to the South Yuba River Citizens League to endow a fund in her name.  For over a decade, SYRCL has carried on the legacy of Laura through this fund, awarding local youth with $4,000 toward an education in the environmental field.

DesJardins, an ardent Yuba River lover, will be attending the University of California, Santa Barbara in the fall and will pursue a degree in environmental studies.  Evan sincerely expressed his gratitude for the award.  “Through my life I have deepened my love and appreciation of the Yuba and its watershed.  It is the reason I want to major in environmental studies.  Living so close to nature has not only shown me its beauty but also reminded me of how delicate it is.  I want to protect and restore the environment.  I am truly honored and thankful to receive this scholarship dedicated to Laura.”

Amanda Wilcox, Laura’s mother, spoke highly of DesJardins, “Evan has the intelligence, discipline, and heart to pursue his goal of environmental engineering.  He will work to protect and restore the environment and make our world a better place, as would have Laura.”

To date, fourteen scholarships have been awarded to outstanding youth in our community, students distinguished by their academic and extra-curricular talents.  Funds for the scholarship are raised by the community at large through the annual Brains of Nevada County Quiz Night hosted by SYRCL and produced by staff and dozens of volunteers.  Amanda Wilcox added, “We are grateful to SYRCL for making the Laura Wilcox Scholarship possible.”

This past March, over twenty teams duel in the famed trivia night to compete for the glory of trivia masters.  Teams comprised of neighbors, friends and coworkers helped raise thousands of dollars to support the Fund.  Among the teams participating this year were: KVMR, the Bear Yuba Land Trust, members of the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership, The Union, YubaNet, Nevada County, Telestream and many more!   Quiz Night will take place Saturday, March 12, 2016 at the Peace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley.