MSU鈥檚 Rovey named NOAA Hollings Scholar
Contact: Carl Smith
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥An aspiring coastal ecologist is 海角社区鈥檚 latest Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship recipient, a prestigious award given by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration providing financial support and practical experience to select undergraduates.
Leah Rovey, a junior wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture major from Franklin, Tennessee, will receive almost $10,000 for two years of full-time study and a full-time, paid summer internship thanks to the NOAA program that prepares students for careers in weather- and natural resource-related fields.
鈥淭his program will serve as a foundational step toward my future career and will support my growth as both a scientist and public servant. I鈥檓 excited to apply my current coursework and extracurricular involvement in the MSU College of Forest Resources to this program and beyond,鈥 she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 continually grateful to my peers and faculty here at MSU who have been crucial in encouraging and supporting my career goals and interest in NOAA.鈥
Rovey will spend this summer interning with the Environmental Services and Education Australia organization鈥檚 location in Sydney, Australia, where she will work as a field ecologist. After college, Rovey hopes to continue researching human impacts on coastal ecosystems and wildlife鈥攁reas studied by NOAA through the National Estuarine Research Reserve System.
Rovey is a recipient of MSU鈥檚 Steve and Melody Golding Presidential Endowed Scholarship and member of the university鈥檚 Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. Within the CFR, she has served as its ambassador outreach chair, a peer tutor for applied ecology and on its dean鈥檚 council. Her other extracurricular activities include roles as a New Maroon Camp counselor and member of the MSU Wildlife Society.
This is the second straight year an MSU student has been named a Hollings Scholar. In 2025, Jake Kasitz, a meteorology major from Gainesville, Florida, received the prestigious award in his sophomore year.
The MSU Office of Prestigious External Scholarships assisted Rovey with her scholarship application. Visit聽聽for more information.
Learn more about MSU鈥檚 College of Forest Resources at聽.
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