LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Sierra Club Lake Group is pleased to announce that for the third year in a row it has awarded a pair of $1,000 scholarships to two graduating seniors from Lake County high schools who are planning careers that will support the Club's mission to “enjoy, explore, and protect” the planet.

On May 29, Lake Group Chair Ed Robey presented an award to Middletown High School graduate Connor James Smith, whose application stated “my goal is to make a change for the better in the world. With an engineering degree, I hope to deliver technology that will help society live harmoniously with our planet without sacrificing our lifestyle. I am fond of combining my interest in cars with my passion for the environment to join the field of environmentally friendly transportation ...”

Smith will enroll in the University of California’s San Diego campus in the fall.

The following day executive committee member and Scholarship Committee chair Cheri Holden gave a second award to Upper Lake High School senior Marcella Stifter.

Stifter loves Clear Lake and its wildlife, and plans to major in fisheries biology at Humboldt State University with a minor in marine biology – with the intention of returning to Lake County with the skills needed to improve the fish population in Clear Lake.

Lake Group congratulates both these fine young people, and wishes them every success on the next stage of their journey.