Saving Cats and Natural Resources Are Student’s Priority

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—June 25, 2012— Many a high school graduate has aspired to lofty goals of saving the planet. Michaela Rogers has already started making a difference.

Rogers just graduated from Eastern High School and was selected for the Rumpke Recycling Scholarship. She plans to study environmental science at the University of Kentucky.

As an Alley Cat Advocate, Rogers volunteered 90 hours trapping, medicating and caring for feral cats. The experience has motivated Rogers to commit to a future of environmental stewardship.

“Each day I strive to exemplify the character of an environmentally conscious individual,” Rogers wrote in her application. “While my daily choices and compulsive recycling are only small acts of stewardship, I mean to take my passions to a far greater level.”

As president of Loving Environment and Friends (LEAF) at Eastern, Rogers was responsible for the school’s recycling program, which won the State Championship Recycle Bowl Competition.

Rumpke awarded $20,000 in scholarships this year. The firm employs approximately 140 people in the Louisville area and provides waste and recycling services as well as portable restrooms.