CEW+ commends Maria’s tenacious pursuit of higher education and fierce commitment to her communities and names her an Elizabeth M. Dusseau Scholar.

Maria Di Cresce is a tenacious student, athlete, and advocate pursuing a master’s degree in ecosystem science and management at UM-Ann Arbor. Maria has continuously overcome challenges in her ambitious academic path: she earned her bachelor’s in environmental science and sustainability with a minor in toxicology from Nazareth University while working two jobs and competing in a nationally-ranked, top-four NCAA women’s ice hockey team. During that time, she also gained experience as a student research and teaching assistant and earned recognition on the dean’s list.

Maria is committed to working in the environment, learning from it, protecting it, and sharing it with others. As an undergraduate, she researched lead contamination in Rochester and worked with community members to remediate their properties, and as a graduate student at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability, she has conducted research and worked with residents to improve and protect the water quality of the Black Lake Watershed. She is also currently assisting in research at the SEAS Burton Ecotoxicology Lab. Above all, Maria is committed to fostering a more diverse and greener future.

Beyond her studies, Maria has also played on U-M’s ACHA Division I women’s ice hockey team, where she was recognized as most inspiring team member, and dedicates her time with the Detroit-based nonprofit Our Global Kids. Maria is known for her natural leadership abilities, “grace, maturity and grit,” and unparalleled dedication to “her academics, her family and her teammates,” and she is grateful to her family, friends, teammates, and community for supporting her through all parts of her journey.

CEW+ commends Maria’s tenacious pursuit of higher education and fierce commitment to her communities and names her an Elizabeth M. Dusseau Scholar.