The Eastern Surfing Association is proud to announce their 2013 Marsh Scholarship recipients. Misty Wilbanks from Carolina Beach, North Carolina and Alexis Goss from Virginia Beach, Virginia will receive scholarship awards paid directly to the colleges that they are attending.
Misty is a graduate student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she is pursuing her Master of Science in Chemistry. “Misty is very mindful of our environment and beach preservation,” says Amy Rose, Co-Director of the ESA’s Southern North Carolina District, where Misty is a member. “She’s a great girl with a very bright future!”
Alexis Goss is also attending University of North Carolina Wilmington and will be graduating in 2014 with a degree in Biology.
“We are so proud of what Misty and Alexis are doing to further their education,” says ESA Executive Director, Michelle Sommers. “They are great representatives of the Eastern Surfing Association, and I know they will be successful in everything they choose to do.”
The ESA is the largest amateur surf organization in the United States. Established in 1967, the non-profit ESA has 25 districts from the Great Lakes through Alabama with thousands of members.
The Marsh Scholarship was started in 1980 by Doc Couture. Named for ESA member, Mike Marsh, who had successfully battled cancer while earning his law degree, the scholarship raises funds for ESA student surfers attending college. Since the program’s inception, there have been approximately 100 recipients of the Marsh Scholarships, totaling over $200,000 in awards.
“This program would not exist without the support of many ESA members,” says ESA Special Projects Director Kit Henningsen. “Local and national surf industry sponsors, along with individuals contributing through the years, have made this program what it is today.”