MLK Scholarship winner’s passion, generosity lead to success

by Catharine Koroulis | April 21, 2016 3:18 PM

Recipe for success

Passion, generosity, and diligence create a great recipe for success. This recipe closely resembles the life path of Theresa Barosh, a 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship[1] recipient and a second-year PhD student in the Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management at Colorado State University. 

[2]

Designed to support graduate students at CSU who excel academically and contribute to the education of underrepresented students, the scholarship is awarded to only one CSU student each year and consists of tuition coverage for one year and $9,000.

“Much of my life I have benefitted from the generosity of others,” said Barosh. “Scholarships and grants allowed me to attend Willamette University as an undergraduate student, as my parents could not afford to put my nine siblings and me through college.”

Making the world a better place

Barosh’s passion for making the world a better place started an early age. As a native of Estes Park, Colorado, Barosh began noticing equality differences in her small community. She worked to help her community overcome these inequalities by starting the Young Artists and Scholars, a non-profit that focuses on outreach, research, and student mentoring.

Her current research focus is on gall-forming insects and plant-insect interactions at several research stations across the state of Colorado. Barosh’s findings could benefit the agricultural industry by fostering a better understanding of biological controls, rather than pesticide treatments, for weed management. She is also working with Meena Balgopal, an associate professor of biology in the College of Natural Sciences, on how STEM education can help bridge minority, gender and socioeconomic achievement gaps as well as some of the achievement gaps noted in first generation students.  

Young Artists and Scholars

Upon receiving her PhD, Barosh is considering a career in either academia or government using both theory and applied research. No matter where Barosh’s career takes her, she hopes to always support the Young Artists and Scholars group and hopes someday to be able to give back and support others, as she has been supported throughout her career.

To learn more about the Young Artists and Scholars group, visit their website[3].

Source URL: https://source.colostate.edu/mlk-scholarship-winners-passion-generosity-lead-to-success/

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