Page 28 - Tree Line - North Carolina Forestry Association - Fourth Quarter 2021

EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Meet Our 2021
Scholarship Winners
The following profiles of two of this year’s Forest Education and Conservation Foundation Scholarship winners are being reprinted with the kind permission of Wayne Community College and Montgomery Community College.
Micah Woodard
A Wayne Community College (WCC) student is the recipient of an NCFA scholarship.
Micah Woodard, a second-year Forest Management Technology major, was selected for a $1,000
scholarship for the next academic year by the NCFA’s Forest Education and Conservation Foundation.
The foundation encourages the wise use and management of North Carolina’s forests through education outreach to students
Amelia Thompson
By Kelly Morgan, Director of Marketing, Montgomery Community College
The concept of stewardship
has always fascinated Amelia Thompson. A second-year student
in the Forest Management Technology program at Montgomery Community College in Troy, NC, Thompson was searching for a way to serve God and people in the setting she prefers: nature.
“The idea of caring for land and the trees on it came naturally to me because
it represents a lot of my upbringing,” explained Thompson. She was raised
and homeschooled in Morganton, a city on the Catawba River in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Morganton, self-proclaimed as Nature’s Playground,
is surrounded by scenic rural landscapes, bountiful natural resources, and abundant recreational opportunities. With the 500,000-acre Pisgah National Forest, Linville Gorge, Lake James State Park, and
and teachers, continuing education initiatives with forestry professionals, and promotional campaigns designed to educate the public.
Woodard is a 2016 graduate of Rosewood High School. He holds a welding certificate from WCC and took machining classes prior to entering the forestry program.
He is still considering his career options, but is drawn to park ranger, wildland firefighter, and state forester, which would put him in his father’s footsteps.
His father is a 1986 graduate of WCC’s forestry program. Although he only
South Mountains State Park all nearby, it is no surprise Thompson developed an early interest in all things outdoors.
Nearing the end of high school and wanting to “give back, help people, and care for the land,” Thompson began an online search for career ideas. She came upon North Carolina’s three community colleges with forestry programs, and decided on Montgomery because of its central location, interesting student activities, and low cost. (It didn’t hurt that her husband-to-be was from a neighboring county and had earned his degree from the school.) Her transition was smooth, but the Piedmont presented new and unusual challenges as well as opportunities for discovery.
“The forest ecology in this part of
the state is spectacular,” said Thompson. “Morganton is in the western part of North Carolina, so I was used to deciduous hardwoods and mountainous terrain. Here, our sloping sandy soil is perfect for conifers — and ticks. I’ve really enjoyed studying a new family of trees and logging practices.”
worked in the forest service for a few years, he enjoyed it, and is happy that his son has chosen the field, Woodard said.
“My last name is Woodard. What else would I do?” he said. He researched the old English meaning of his name and found that it is “warden of the wood.”
The NCFA also gave Woodard a membership in the association. Other scholarship recipients included Brandon Sanchez, a North Carolina State University student, and Amelia Thompson, a Montgomery Community College student.
“We are proud to offer a scholarship to students pursuing a forestry career in the
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Thompson is the only female student
in her Forestry Management Technology cohort, a fact she apparently hasn’t noticed. “I played football; I’m an amateur boxer. I lived with my dad and brother, so I’m used to being around men and competing with them.” Thompson runs a chainsaw, takes soil samples, operates machinery, and uses GIS technology just like everyone else in the class. “I’m physically strong and I have a lot of self-discipline, so I fit right in.”
Thompson is also fitting in across the