Maya’s Bio

Maya Dizack is 20 years of age, an aspiring scientist, and if her mission is completed, will be the youngest documented woman and woman of color to paddle the Mississippi River solo. Currently, she is pursuing a degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in human health and the environment at University of Vermont. Outside of school, you can often find her backpacking, sea kayaking, or rock and ice climbing; there is no such thing as an “off season”. Building on her experience with backcountry travel, water quality research, field research, and a plethora of coursework in natural science, she looks to this project as a capstone of her abilities and knowledge so far. She will be using her award to complete her project of sea kayaking from the headwaters to the mouth of the Missisippi River while conducting water quality research and organizing outreach events for community members. The goal of her research is to better understand the baseline of health in the Mississippi River.

READ – Maya’s Primary Recommendation

READ – Maya’s Secondary Recommendation

READ – Maya’s Essay