It was by pure happenstance that we got this opportunity to reconnect with a past scholarship recipient. Cindy Willems, looking to line up a speaker for a community group, mentioned that her son Josh had been one of our scholarship recipients! One thing led to another, and we were able to get some life and education updates on Josh. Josh Willems was awarded the Shasta Chapter CNPS Laing Sibbet Memorial Scholarship in 2010, as a soon-to-be graduate of West Valley High School in Cottonwood.
At the time, Josh’s plans were to attend San Luis Obispo’s Cal Poly to study biological sciences, with an emphasis in zoology. Josh did in fact attend Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and graduated in 2014 with a B.S. in environmental biology.
“I’ve always been intrigued by nature and love getting the chance to spend time outdoors and work with animals and plants,” Josh said. This is what drew him to environmental biology.
His studies didn’t end there—Josh received his master’s from Cal Poly, and is now close to achieving his doctoral degree. He is currently at the University of Durham, New Hampshire, expecting to complete his doctorate in spring 2027.
Josh’s doctorate will be in natural resources and earth systems science, continuing his focus in environmental biology. He shared that his specific focus is on “how timber harvesting activity and long-term environmental changes influence small mammal (rodent and shrew) populations in New England.”
Josh said that, after he completes his doctorate, he hopes to continue to pursue research, which he would ideally conduct while working for a state or federal agency, or a non-governmental agency like The Nature Conservancy.
Prior research experience saw Josh working for California State Parks in Pismo Beach, during the interlude between his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
“For most of my time at State Parks I worked on the western snowy plover and California least tern monitoring project at Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area,” Josh shared. “I also was able to assist with a wide variety of monitoring and restoration projects including surveying for small mammals, birds, rare plants, amphibians, and fish.”
Photo provided by Cindy Willems.
From high school graduation in Cottonwood in 2010, to working toward his doctorate 16 years later, Josh has been enjoying scientific endeavors in nature. His mom, Cindy Willems, said, “Your investment in him went to good use!”
For those who want to see where a scholarship could lead them or someone they love, Shasta Chapter CNPS is now accepting applications for the 2026/2027 school year!
The annual $2000 Plant Biology Scholarship is open to high school or junior college students headed to a four-year college or university in the next school year, planning to study a plant-biology-related major such as botany, plant ecology, plant conservation, or habitat management/restoration. The deadline for this scholarship is Friday, April 24, 2026.
Shasta Chapter CNPS also provides funding to Northern California Botanists for a research scholarship, awarded to a student from the Shasta Chapter area or researching a topic relevant to the Shasta Chapter area. This scholarship closes applications on Friday, April 15, 2026.
Scholarship applications and details can be found here: Scholarships & Grants
~Heather Taylor