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Center Scholars

All undergraduate and graduate students who are actively involved in furthering the Center’s mission are eligible to become Center Scholars. The Center's mission is to create award-winning films, innovative media, and research that raise awareness, amplify diverse voices, promote solutions, and inspire action. Center Scholars are outstanding, passionate, diligent, creativity emerging leaders in the field. Everyone who is interested in wildlife, nature, environmental, conservation science, and climate justice is welcome.

Part-time students are also eligible. Grants may be available on a rolling basis for use on capstone and thesis film projects.

To apply, email:  environmentalfilmmaking@gmail.com. For more information, contact Executive Director Maggie Burnette Stogner, stogner@american.edu

 

Selected
Requirements
How to Apply

CEF recommends top students to the organizations offering paid fellowships based on the criteria below. It is up to the organization to make the final selection. 

Fellows must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be in good standing, have completed at least one production course, and have a minimum GPA of 3.5.
  2. Have a record of excellence in film, video, or new media production. 
  3. Exhibit ability to be responsible, reliable, and self-directed. 
  4. Demonstrate ability to work with clients and meet deadlines. 

To apply, please submit a one-page letter by November 1 describing your thesis project, why it is important, and how it aligns with the CEF mission to "create award-winning films and innovative media that raise awareness, represent diverse voices, promote solutions, and inspire action.” Include a short explanation of how a stipend would help you accomplish your goals. Applications are reviewed by CEF’s Executive Director and Associate Directors. 

2020/23 Center Scholars

Brooke Matthews

Brooke Matthews

Brooke Matthews is an incredibly enthusiastic and highly driven film director and producer. She aspires to collaborate and create films that connect and inspire audiences of all ages. Her experiences as a film producer have guided her to be a creative leader, efficient multi-tasker, and proactive crew member. She has worked for brands such as PBS, Adventure Science, The National Park Service, and Symbio Studios. Brooke is currently writing and directing her capstone short film, ‘Inner Child’, set to debut in May 2024. 

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Sarah King

Sarah aims to enact positive change through cinematic storytelling as she specializes in camera operating for documentaries about wildlife and conservation efforts. She is a two-time filmmaking fellow with the National Park Service and was a Visual Information Specialist Intern at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine in 2023. Sarah was the director of photography and one of the camera operators for the student documentary, “Reviving the Forgotten River”, which aired on Maryland Public Television in April 2024.

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Gabrielle Locke

Gabrielle has been a graduate assistant at the Center for Environmental Film since 2022. Initially focusing on social media, research, and analytics, she has now transitioned to being the newsletter editor. Presently, her focus also lies in writing her Capstone project, a feature narrative titled Dahlia. Her involvement in filmmaking also extends to various short-form projects in which she worked as a sound recordist and script supervisor.

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Giovana Roskosz Reis

Giovana is a nature-driven filmmaker who tells stories that educate, inspire, and connect audiences. Her career started at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where she worked as a film & video production assistant and developed a greater interest in impact storytelling. At American University, she is currently pursuing an MA in Film and Media Production. As part of CEF, she creates marketing materials for social media and advocates for sustainable filmmaking.

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Hyatt Mamoun

Hyatt Mamoun is an energetic producer, who does a lot of her own camerawork and is an on-camera talent. She just debuted her capstone series, in which she stars, “Wild, Wild World”.  She interned and then was hired by Nat Geo Channel to work as an assistant editor on the popular show, “Dr. Pol”. In the Advanced Documentary course, she took three other grad students to the Bahamas with her to make an excellent film about the endangered Conch, known for its beautiful shells and tasty meat. 

Mary Alice McMillan

Mary Alice Mcmillan

Mary Alice McMillan is finishing her thesis film - a powerful, personal documentary about three generations affected by the toxic pollution of Love Canal. 

 

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Beth Ebisch

Beth Ebisch is interested in science and natural history filmmaking, and is working on her thesis film about the damage that beetles are doing to the pine forests of Colorado, killing off trees and causing more wildfires. She is one of the fellows on the National Park Service Glacier Bay project with the Indigenous Tribal Council of that region.

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Grace Eggleston

Grace Eggleston is working on her thesis film about toxic blooms and endangered species on the Great Lakes. Her film, “The Waters That Heal Us” recently won an award at the 2021 Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

2021 Center Scholars
Xochi Chavez-Ortiz
2020 Center Scholars
Robert Boyd, Chris Lipinski, Asia Nicholson
2019 Center Scholars
Crystal Berg, Robert Boyd, Mary Alice McMillan, Jay Strojnowski, Shannon Shikles, and Ashley Luke.
2018 Center Scholars
Crystal Solberg, Robert Boyd, Sirjaut Kaur Dhariwal, Elizabeth Herzfeldt-Kamprath, Gaby Krevat, Ashley Luke, Amelia Tyson, and Kent Wagner
2017 Center Scholars
Emma Dacol, Sirjaut Kaur Dhariwal, Elizabeth Herzfeldt-Kamprath, Ashley Holmes, Megan King, Dorian Russel, Sam Sheline, Crystal Solberg, and Kent Wagner
2016 Center Scholars
Vanina Harel, Elizabeth Herzfeldt-Kamprath, Sam Sheline, Kent Wagner, and Nick Zachar
2014-2015 Center Scholars
Vanina Harel, Jamey Warner, and Nick Zachar
2012-2013 Center Scholars
Maria Arreguin, Erin Finicane, Sarah Gulick, Sylvia Johnson, Brian Kelley, Ana Sotelo, Jenny Stratton, and Corin Wilson
2011-2012 Center Scholars
Sarah Gulick, Helenah Svedberg, Jennifer Stratton, Aditi Desai, and Sylvia Johnson
2010-2011 Center Scholars
Aditi Desai, Kai Fang, Jeremy Polk, Irene Magafan, and Sylvia Johnson
2009-2010 Center Scholars
Ellen Tripler, Danny Ledonne, and Shanon Sparks