2024 Dr. Howard & Beth Hoekje Conservation Scholarship Recipients

Every year the Audubon Outdoor Club sponsors the Dr. Howard & Beth Hoekje Conservation Scholarship for distinguished graduate and undergraduate students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and Texas A&M University-Kingsville pursuing research and future careers in wildlife conservation. Each scholar receives $1,000. Applications for the 2025 Scholarship will open in Summer 2025.

Daphne White

Graduate Student

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Daphne is a Ph.D. student in the Marine Biology program at TAMU-CC. She completed her B.Sc. in Biology with a marine concentration at TAMU-CC in 2022. Her first research experience was working as an undergraduate researcher for Dr. Jennifer Pollack at the Harte Research Institute studying oyster reefs. There, she completed her first research project involving oyster reef restoration with biodegradable aquaculture bags. Next, she studied the impacts of dredging on Caribbean reef-building corals for her undergraduate honors thesis under the mentorship of Dr. Keisha Bahr. Her research in the Bahr lab focuses on monitoring oyster reef calcification to help inform management to keep areas closed or open to harvest. 

Daphne is from New Braunfels, TX, where she developed her appreciation for the outdoors. In her free time she enjoys camping, cooking, swimming, and traveling. 

Leala Punjabi

Undergraduate Student

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

Leala Punjabi is from Helotes, Texas. She is currently getting her undergraduate degree in Biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. After graduation in the spring, she plans to attend graduate school to get her masters and Ph.D., dedicating her education and research to conservation. Her goal is to do research centered around human impacts on animals and the ocean to help influence effective policy and conservation efforts.

Chloe Nouzille

Graduate Student

Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Chloe grew up in California and received her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Irvine. As an undergraduate, she worked as a veterinary technician and a laboratory assistant, but there were few fieldwork or wildlife focused opportunities. After her 3rd year, she was privileged to work as a research assistant at Mabula Game Reserve in South Africa, where she studied the behavior of elephants, rhinos, and lions. This was a pivotal moment that solidified a desire to work with wildlife. Following graduation, she interned with the National Park Service, studying mountain lions in a fragmented landscape, and gained valuable field skills. Her M.S. at the University of California, Los Angeles focused on mammal recovery and recolonization following one of California’s megafires. Now as a Ph.D. student, she studies mountain lion ecology in South Texas through the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University – Kingsville. After completing her Ph.D., she will pursue a research-based career that helps protect threatened species at an organization (be it an NGO, government department, or university) where she can answer conservation questions for both the academic and applied worlds.