The Mono Lake Committee awards the Mono Lake Committee Scholarship to support Mono County students seeking post-high school education.
The Mono Lake Committee Scholarship is one of the ways the Committee is active in our community, contributing to support local students and families.
Each year the Committee awards up to two $1,000 scholarships to students pursuing higher education who display a personal connection with Mono Lake and the Mono Lake story. Mono County resident high school seniors who have firm plans to further their education within a year of graduation qualify for the Mono Lake Committee Scholarship. Student applicants must visit Mono Lake and write an essay that responds to the question: Why do places like Mono Lake matter?
Applications open for 2025
The scholarship application is open for 2025. Completed applications must be submitted to the Mono Lake Committee no later than 5:00pm on Sunday, May 18, 2025. Please contact Education Coordinator Hannah Ashby with any questions.
2024 Scholarship recipients and essays
In 2024, scholarships were awarded to Kaelyn Lange from Coleville High School and Alden Seiberling from Lee Vining High School. They both wrote thoughtful essays about the importance of Mono Lake both to them and to the world. We wish them well for their next step.
Excerpt from Kaelyn Lange’s essay
“As I am given the privilege to sit along the shoreline of beautiful Mono Lake, I have yet to experience the true hidden beauty of it all by simply sitting peacefully in silence. Mono Lake is a place that’s often brought my family together for funerals or celebrations of life. My ancestors are from Mono Lake, Mono Lake Kudzutika’a Tribe. Our family has a close connection to Mono Lake and the surrounding areas… I sit here with the satisfaction of knowing this lake took care of my family, and how my family also took care of the lake.g time.” You can read the rest of Kaelyn’s essay here.
Excerpt from Alden Seiberling’s essay
“There are so many things that I have learned from this place; I have learned that we are connected across continents, that life can thrive even in water three times saltier than the ocean, and most importantly, I have learned to take a moment to appreciate the astounding beauty that is around me everyday.’” You can read the rest of Alden’s essay here.
Previous scholarship recipients
The Mono Lake Committee has awarded scholarships each year since 2008. Find each year’s recipient below or see all recipients since 2009 here.
2023: Esha Eilts, Lee Vining High School | Kelly Thompson, Coleville High School
Lee Vining High School graduate Esha Eilts, left, and Coleville High School graduate, Kelly Thompson, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2023. Read their essays and find more information here.
2022: Kylee Lange, Coleville High School | Sergio Santillan-Leal, Lee Vining High School
Coleville High School graduate Kylee Lange, not pictured, and Lee Vining High School graduate Sergio Santiallan-Leal, center, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2022. Read their essays and find more information here.
2021: Chyann Andrews and Leonel Galindo, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Chyann Andrews, left, and Leonel Galindo, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2021. Read their essays and find more information here.
2020: Keely Podosin, Mammoth High School | Ben Trefry, Lee Vining High School
Mammoth High School graduate Keely Podosin, left, and Lee Vining High School graduate Ben Trefry, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2020. Read their essays and find more information here.
2019: Sophia McKee, Lee Vining High School | Orion Ellis, Mammoth High School
Mammoth High School graduate Orion Ellis, left, and Lee Vining High School graduate Sophia McKee, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2019. Read their essays and find more information here.
2018: Rosalie Burch and Isabel Calderon, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Rosalie Burch, left, and Isabel Calderon, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2018. Read their essays and find more information here.
2017: Reina Childs, Coleville High School | Charles DesBaillets, Lee Vining High School
Coleville High School graduate Reina Childs, top right, and Lee Vining High School graduate Charles DesBaillets, bottom center, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2017. Read their essays and find more information here.
2016: Berlin Del Aguila and Julie Harris, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Berlin Del Aguila, top right, and Julie Harris, bottom center, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2016. Read their essays and find more information here.
2015: Carson Bold, Mammoth High School | Olivia Nelson, Lee Vining High School
Mammoth High School graduate Carson Bold, left, and Lee Vining High School graduate Olivia Nelson, not pictured, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2015. Read their essays and find more information here.
2014: Patty Anne Hensley, Mammoth Lakes Academy | Alexis Romero, Lee Vining High School
Mammoth Lakes Academy graduate Patty Anne Hensley, left, and Lee Vining High School graduate Alexis Romero, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2014. Read their essays and find more information here.
2013: Tristan Blommer and Cortney Duro, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Tristan Blommer, left, and Cortney Duro, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2013. Read their essays and find more information here.
2012: Cory Forbes, Alek McKee, and Natasha McCullough, Lee Vining High School | Cavanagh Gohlich, Coleville High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Cory Forbes (top left), Alek McKee (top right), and Natasha McCullough (bottom left), and Coleville High School graduate Cavanagh Gohlich (bottom right), received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2012. Read their essays and find more information here.
2011: Angela Annett and Quincy Parker, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Angela Annett, left, and Quincy Parker, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2011. Read their essays and find more information here.
2010: Andrew Oliveira, Eastern Sierra Academy | Katie Woodruff, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduate Katie Woodruff, left, and Eastern Sierra Academy graduate Andrew Oliviera, right, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2010. Read their essays and find more information here.
2009: Justin Diem and Juan Carlos Pina, Eastern Sierra Academy | Erika Flores, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduate Erika Flores, below, and Eastern Sierra Academy graduates Justin Diem and Juan Carlos Pina, not pictured, received Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2009. Read their essays and find more information here.
2008: Hannah Gehrman and Mariah McCullough, Lee Vining High School
Lee Vining High School graduates Hannah Gehrman and Mariah McCullough received the first-ever Mono Lake Committee Scholarships in 2009.
Top photo by Santiago Escruceria.