April 17, 2024

We're thrilled to announce that Maven Mercado, environmental science '26, was selected as a 2024-26 NOAA Hollings Scholar. The Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship, administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), supports undergraduate students interested in pursuing research, public service, or teaching careers in the oceanic and atmospheric sciences. Hollings Scholars receive tuition support and participate in a summer internship at a NOAA facility. Maven is the fourth Drexel student to receive this award and we are so proud of them!

Maven Mercado
environmental science '26

Maven Mercado (they/he) is a 2026 candidate for the BS in environmental science with a concentration in applied environmental science. They are also double minoring in geoscience and biological sciences. Maven is a student in the Liberty Scholars Program, which awards underrepresented students with a full-tuition scholarship for twelve academic quarters. During the summer after their freshman year, they interned with Heights Philadelphia as a teaching/administrative assistant. For their first co-op, they were awarded funding in the amount of $6,000 from the Steinbright Partners Program to complete an unpaid co-op at the Philadelphia Zoo. Since January 2023, they have been working as a research assistant in the Invertebrate Paleontology department of the Academy of Natural Sciences. For their second co-op, they were awarded funding in the amount of $4,000 from the Research Fellowship Supplement Program to continue this research full-time. Through DAAD RISE, Maven will be doing research at Universität Hamburg, analyzing ostracod assemblages across the Permian-Triassic boundary to reconstruct paleoecological conditions.

Maven is a queer, Hispanic, first-generation North Philly native who takes pride in all of these identities. When they're not focuses on school, work, or research, they love reading, watching horror movies, and walking around the city. 

Maven has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the SuperNova Undergraduate Research Fellows Program.

The NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship provides support and multidisciplinary learning experiences for undergraduate students interested in pursuing research, public service, or teaching careers in the oceanic and atmospheric sciences. The award includes academic assistance for full-time study during two academic years and a 10-week, full-time summer internship at a NOAA facility.

For more information about the NOAA Hollings Scholarship, please visit the NOAA Hollings website or contact UREP at fellowships@drexel.edu.