2005 Carol A. Ratza Memorial Scholarship
To recognize outstanding achievement and vision in electronic communications technology

The winner of the 2005 Carol A. Ratza Memorial Scholarship is Dakota Cousineau, a senior at Bedford High School in Temperance, Mich. Dakota is a student athlete who carries an impressive 3.9 GPA. Dakota's essay focused on the loss of the family farm in the Great Lakes region and the diminishing legacy of conservation and environmental concern among today's youth. He suggests that high school and college course credits might be offered to students in exchange for their participation in environmental projects and real-world, "hands on the land" experiences. Dakota will major in political science at Hope College in Holland, Mich., in fall 2005.

About the Carol A. Ratza Memorial Scholarship
The Ratza Scholarship was established in 1998 in memory of Carol A. Ratza who directed the Commission's Communications Program from 1986-1997. The competition is open to high school seniors and returning students enrolled full-time at a Great Lakes college or university. The 2006 application deadline is April 3. For details or to contribute to the scholarship fund, see www.glc.org/about/scholarships or contact Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org.