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William V. Storch Student Award
AWRA Florida offers the William V. Storch Student Awards, with up to four awards of $1,500 each for undergraduate students and $2,000 each for graduate students, to Florida college or university students. The selection criteria for an undergraduate student is based on academic performance including the cumulative grade point average, relevance of the student’s curriculum to water resources and leadership in extracurricular activities related to water resources. The criteria for a graduate student is based on academic and/or research performance. The measures of academic performance are identical to those described for the undergraduate criteria with the addition of the quality of the student’s research and its relevance to water resources. Applicants should prepare a title page and two-page summary of their academic interests and achievements, extracurricular interests and career goals as they relate to the above selection criteria. The application must also include a letter of reference, preferably from a professor or advisor, a transcript of all college courses and the applicant’s full name, permanent mailing address, email address, and phone number. (NOTE: Graduate Awards were increased from $1,500 to $2,000 for 2026). 2026 Applications must be received by Friday, April 17, 2026.
2027 Application forms are not yet available.
2026 Graduate Recipents
Majid Torof – University of South Florida, TampaMajid is a former AWRA Student Chapter President at the University of South Florida. He is an environmental engineer whose research focuses on environmental engineering applications in industrial wastewater treatment and deep-well injection. He uses geochemical and reactive transport modeling tools, including Geochemist’s Workbench and TOUGHREACT, to evaluate treatment strategies for phosphogypsum process water in the phosphate mining industry. Through his work, Majid hopes to reduce the risks that gypsum stacks pose to near-surface aquifers and deeper drinking water resources. His long-term goal is to join a consulting firm and help provide solutions to water, municipal wastewater, and industrial wastewater challenges. Outside of research, Majid enjoys pickleball, Manchester United Football Club, and chess.
Nikita Singhi – Florida International University, MiamiNikita is pursuing her doctoral degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Florida International University. Her research focuses on developing effective management strategies for the cleaning and rinsing of PFAS-impacted fire-suppression systems. Her work also investigates the formation and behavior of PFAS surface assemblies, including monolayer and multilayer structures on solid substrates. In addition, she studies the environmental behavior and interactions of emerging contaminants, including PFAS, tire-derived contaminants such as 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone (6PPD Q), and microplastics. Her research aims to generate fundamental insights that support sustainable environmental technologies and practical solutions for managing hazardous waste and emerging contaminants. Looking ahead, Nikita hopes to contribute to protecting water, soil, and air while promoting the long-term health and sustainability of environmental systems through research and innovation.
Lusnel Ferdinand – Florida Atlantic University, Boca RatonLusnel is a graduate research assistant for the Center for Water Resiliency and Risk Reduction (CWR3) at Florida Atlantic University, where he works on watershed master planning for communities in Florida. He will earn his master’s degree in civil engineering with a concentration in water resources and environmental engineering in August 2026 and then will start his doctorate degree program. Lusnel is investigating the accuracy of different flood models in predicting the effects of large storm events, specifically whether Python-based model results are closer to reported flooding than commercial flooding software, and to help estimate flood damage costs.
2026 Undergraduate Recipents
Sebastian Hernandez – Florida Atlantic University, Boca RatonSebastian is an undergraduate Environmental Engineering student at Florida Atlantic University. His undergraduate research has involved the occurrence and quantification of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment, challenges in landfill infrastructure, and the state of recycling infrastructure in Florida. He plans to continue his academic and research development in graduate school.
Jessica Austin – University of Miami, Coral Gables
Jessica is a master's student specializing in Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering. Her research interests center on water resources, environmental remediation, and emerging contaminants, with a focus on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). She aspires to develop sustainable, science-driven solutions to complex water resource challenges through environmental consulting, with a focus on remediation, emerging contaminants, and resilient water management. Jessica's long-term goal is to lead multidisciplinary teams that protect water resources and improve public and ecological health.
Past Recipients
2025
Fabiola Rodriguez - University of Florida (Graduate)
Stacy Lynn Sanderlin - Florida Gulf Coast University (Graduate)
Elizabeth Vicario - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Aki Densmore - Florida Institute of Technology (Undergraduate)
Riley Plank - Florida Gulf Coast University (Undergraduate)
2024
Hanna Innocent - Florida International University (Graduate)
Sajad Soleymani Hasani - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Mileisha L. Velázquez - University of Florida (Graduate)
Nathan Petters - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
Victoria Stevenson - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
2023
Sanneri Santiago Borres - University of Florida (Graduate)
Javid Ali - University of Central Florida (Graduate)
Sydney Cloutier - University of Miami (Undergraduate)
Malena Gonzalez Fernandez - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
Andrew Foley - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
Samantha Grisso - Florida Gulf Coast University (Undergraduate)
2022
Osamah Tarabih - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Estenia Ortiz - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Megan Kramer - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Alex Orfinger - Florida A&M University / University of Florida (Graduate)
Lillian Maxwell - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
2021
Ahmed Nasr - University of Central Florida (Graduate)
Cierra Braga - Florida Institute of Technology (Graduate)
Daniel Schroeder - Florida Gulf Coast University (Graduate)
James Javaruski - Florida Gulf Coast University (Graduate)
Farah Aryan - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
Jenna Brooks - University of South Florida (Undergraduate)
Madison Mullen - Florida Gulf Coast University (Undergraduate)
2020
Jeremy Conrad - Florida Atlantic University (Graduate)
Florida Atlantic University (Graduate)
Kyle Rezek - University of Florida (Graduate)
Sharmin Siddiqui - University of Florida (Graduate)
Osama Tarabih - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Ashley Boggs - University of Central Florida (Undergraduate)
Robert L. Taylor - University of Florida (Undergraduate)
2019
Noha Abdel-Mottaleb - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Charlotte Haberstoh - University of South Florida (Graduate)
Marco Pazmiño-Hernandez - University of Florida (Graduate)
Amanda Tritinger - University of Florida (Graduate)
Kendall Karcher - University of Central Florida (Undergraduate)
Bertrand King - Florida Atlantic University (Undergraduate)
Austin Wise - Florida Gulf Coast University (Undergraduate)
2018
Kristin Briggs - Florida International University (Graduate)
Kevin Henson - University of Florida (Graduate)
Luke Westlake - Florida Gulf Coast University (Undergraduate)
Yiliannis Rodriguez - Florida Gulf Coast University (Undergraduate)
2017
Samantha C. Dowdell - University of Miami (Graduate)
Quinn Zacharias - Florida State University (Undergraduate)
2016
Andres Sola - Florida International University
Amanda Chappel - University of South Florida St. Petersburg
2015
Alexis Johnson - University of Florida
Ileana Daniela Corsi - Florida International University
2014
Alice Alonso - University of Florida
Jason Goodrich - Florida Gulf Coast University and Edison State College
2013
Natalie Nelson - University of Florida
Allison Lewis - University of Florida
2012
Darina Palacio - University of Florida
Aneesh Goly - University of Florida
2011
Gonzalo Moretta - Hillsborough Community College
Yogesh Khare - University of Florida
2010
Daniel Morris - University of Florida
Lisa Seales - University of Florida
Scott Simpson - University of Florida
2009
Madison Dickmon - Edison State College
Miguel Morales - University of Florida
2008
Laura Wewerka
Steven L. Byars - University of North Florida
2007
Gordon Brown - University of Florida
Heather Byrne
Russell Ferlita
Marcus Griswold
Mikhal Mobert
April Moore
2006
Jehangin Badha
Beth Bevc
Stuart Norton
2005
Christopher Rawl
Kelly Gleaton
Michael Zelazo
Ondine Wells
Stuart Mueller
Lindsay Griffen
2004
Scott Knight
Lynn Saunders