Pi Chi Omega Scholarship Recipients: The List Expands!

The list of Pi Chi Omega scholarship recipients is long. Since awarding our first scholarship to Dr. Bobby Corrigan in 1976, Pi Chi Omega has provided more than $230,000 in financial support to entomology students. We are happy to announce, the list just grew!

If you take a minute to review the list of past Pi Chi Omega scholarship recipients, you will recognize countless names. 

Tenured professors at the leading universities with powerhouse urban entomology departments, who are grooming their students to be the next generation of entomologists to advance our industry, got the support of Pi Chi Omega when they were just students themselves. 

Technical gurus at some of the largest pest management chemical and manufacturing companies, many holding patents for products and formulations we depend on today, received Pi Chi Omega scholarships.

Industry leaders who guide some of the most successful pest management businesses in the country, credit the support they received from Pi Chi Omega for their industry success.

Current Pi Chi Omega president, Mark Sheperdigian (Shep), explains  “Our Industry is enriched by the knowledge gained and research conducted by each of the students we support, and many remain connected to Pi Chi Omega by becoming professors or industry professionals.” Through the scholarship program, we ensure pest management practices continue to evolve and keep pace with the ever changing structural and urban pest management landscape. And, as a bonus, the students we support now, in turn, become the supporting pillars of our Industry of the future.

This year, the committee had 13 applications, all from well-qualified individuals at various stages of their academic journey. Desiree Straubinger, the Chair of the Scholarship Committee, said, ““The 2021 scholarship applicants were high caliber, making the scholarship committee’s decision extremely difficult!  All of the students who applied will make a huge impact on the future of the pest control industry.”

It was difficult to select just 5 candidates from the applicant pool. The committee urges those who did not receive a scholarship this year, to apply again in 2022. The five students who were awarded scholarships in 2021 are as follows:

• John Osmun Scholarship awarded to Madison Gits, Purdue University for $3,000
• Founders Endowment Scholarship awarded to Morgan Wilson, Virginia Tech for $2,000
• Alain VanRyckeghem Memorial Scholarship awarded to Johnalyn Gordon, University of Kentucky for $2000
• Austin Frishman Scholarship awarded to Maria Gonzalez-Morales, North Carolina State University for $2,000
• Norm Ehmann Scholarship awarded to Christopher Hayes, North Carolina State University for $2,000

Pi Chi Omega has supported one of the current recipients throughout her academic journey. In 2016, Johnalyn Gordon was awarded the Jon Osmun Scholarship as an undergrad at the University of Florida under Dr. Koehler. In 2018, Johnalyn was the inaugural recipient of the Alain VanRyckeghem Memorial Scholarship as a Master’s student under Dr. Thomas Chouvenc, also at UFL. Now, as Johnalyn enters her first year as a doctoral candidate under Dr. Zachary DeVries, she once again receives the Alain VanRyckeghem scholarship.

We are excited to learn about the knowledge and research that stems from these students endeavors and we are pleased to be able to support them through the Pi Chi Omega Scholarship program. Each Spring students provide us with an update on their

academic achievements. The current issue of Pi Chi Omega News provides updates from our 2020 scholarship recipients.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship please visit www.pichiomega.org for more information. Scholarship applications are accepted each Spring in Mid-March, reviewed by the scholarship committee then awarded to 5 deserving students who are studying urban and industrial pest management or some closely related plan of study. If that’s you, we’d love to consider you for a scholarship in 2022!

If you would like to make a contribution to the Pi Chi Omega Scholarship program to support and encourage students to pursue a career in our industry, you can make an online donation at pichiomega.org, or contact the Pi Chi Omega staff at office@pichiomega.org or 540/376-3617.

Pi Chi Omega is a national fraternity for pest control professionals. Initiated in 1950 by six students of Dr. John V. Osmun at Purdue University, the fraternity today is comprised of nearly 450 members representing 38 states and 4 foreign countries. These members are some of the most distinguished, dedicated, and talented professionals in the pest control industry.