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Nicholas Stewart

Australia is one of the few industrialized nations dealing with water shortage, an issue University of South Florida (USF) Geology junior Nicholas Stewart experienced growing up in Montego Bay, Jamaica. He recalls bathing in a bucket as a child to preserve water resources, which has inspired him as an adult to contribute to informing international climate change policies. In the fall of 2019, he traveled to Sydney, Australia to study the nation’s water crisis at Macquarie University as a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship recipient. There, Nicholas researched how water shortage affected communities like his own to help mitigate the effects of environmental degradation globally in the future.

As a teenager, Nicholas encountered instability but forged a path to a better life. He grew up traveling between Jamaica and the U.S., which allowed him to see the disparity in water access between the two nations. In high school, his mother and brother left the state of Florida, leaving him homeless. Despite his living situation, he was determined to remain in school consistently and enrolled himself in 12th grade. He later applied to USF and enrolled as a Biology major for one academic year in fall 2016.

At USF, Nicholas sought additional opportunities in and outside the classroom to learn more about how water shortage differs between the developing nation of Jamaica and industrialized nations across the world. He began his USF career as a participant in USF’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Academy ­­– an experience that shaped his desire for a future in research and connected him with Dr. Richard Pollenz, Environmental Molecular Toxicology and Cell Biology Professor at USF. Dr. Pollenz developed the USF STEM Academy and fostered an environment for first-year students to thrive at USF. Additionally, Dr. Pollenz connected Nicholas with his first research mentor, Frank Zamudio, a USF Health research technician. Frank taught Nicholas how to be a successful researcher, including collecting primary neurons and creating protocols. Through his experience at the academy and his involvement in several campus organizations, he gained confidence and discovered his desire to be more involved in the process of providing resources, such as water, electricity, and other needs for marginalized communities – a realization which prompted Nicholas to change his major to Geology.

Determined to diversify his research experience beyond USF, Nicholas applied to the exchange program at Macquarie University to enroll in courses on climate change, volcanology, as well as the form and function of streams and the interaction between streams and the landscape around them, which is called fluvial geomorphology. When preparing to study in Australia, Nicholas learned that water resources in the country were reduced by increasingly severe droughts, contributing to the lack of clean water sources for daily needs, such as agriculture, cooking, and general domestic use. At Macquarie, he collaborated with Dr. Grant Hose, Associate Dean, on a five-month research project to test the level of contamination in ground water. The goal of the project was to test cotton crops to determine if ground water was unfit for domestic use due to fertilizer contamination. They discovered that cotton that easily separated when handled was indicative of water contamination. Their results showed a correlation between water contamination and fertilizers used for farming in rural areas. Through his involvement in that research, Nicholas saw the global impacts of water scarcity on rural farming communities.

Nicholas felt encouraged to apply for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to assist in funding his study abroad program to Australia when he met with Ms. Lauren Roberts, an ONS advisor. He worked with Ms. Roberts on his application, continually revising his essays over a four-month period. Nicholas says Ms. Roberts helped him articulate his story so it could be easily understood by the reader.

During the application process, there were times he was concerned that his story did not resonate. Ms. Roberts encouraged him to continue with the Gilman application, which helped him realize he had a story worth telling. He thought to himself, “You’ve done hard things before. You can do this.” When Nicholas received the notification that he was a Gilman Scholarship recipient, he was relieved and excited that someone listened to his story and understood his career goals.

After graduating from USF, Nicholas plans to attend graduate school and ultimately earn a PhD in Environmental Engineering to contribute to diplomacy in environmental initiatives. He hopes to become a research-based Environmental Geologist and collect data for submission to the United Nations with the goal of informing climate change policies. “I hope what readers get from my story is there is power in sharing your journey,” says Nicholas. “It is a beautiful work of art full of character that the world needs to see.”