Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Fund

by American Fisheries Society – Alaska Chapter

The Molly Ahlgren Scholarship Fund is an endowment of the American Fisheries Society - Alaska Chapter. The Scholarship(s) are provided to University of Alaska System and Alaska Pacific University undergraduate students in their sophomore, junior, or senior year of studies pursuing a baccalaureate degree involving the disciplines of fisheries, aquatic, or biological science. This fund allows donors to support undergraduate academic success by easing students' financial burden, with confidence that their donations will do exactly what they intend.

Professor Molly Ahlgren was an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Sheldon Jackson College. The Alaska Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (Chapter) elected her to be the president in 2005, after many years of her active involvement and leadership in the Chapter. Less than two weeks after being installed as Chapter president, she was killed in a boating accident while serving Sitka as an Emergency Medical Technician. The Chapter responded by creating the Molly Ahlgren Scholarship (MAS) to honor her and her life’s work.

Molly’s first love was teaching and she was dedicated to her students. She was a passionate teacher who felt her role was “to show people how to encounter the mystery of nature”. She developed and taught “hands on” field-oriented courses (her words) in Fishery Science, Ecosystem Analysis, Fish Ecology, Ichthyology, Limnology, Marine Ecology, Marine Biology, Fish Behavior, and Ecological Research Techniques for SCUBA Divers. She was a life-long learner. She was an inspiration to all who knew her because of her courage, perseverance, and authenticity.