Dark and light green banner with "Sister Scholarships" in the title

 Fall 2023 Sister Scholarships

Each Fall, SERC and TGIF open applications for our Sister Scholarships, two scholarships that aim to celebrate the contributions of environmentalists who identify as queer or as a person of color. These scholarships are open to undergraduate and graduate students, and ask applicants to answer open-ended questions around joy, community, and the environment.

This year, our Sister Scholarship applications will open on 10/9/2023 and close on 11/1/2023. Questions? Email serc@berkeley.edu or scroll for more information about each scholarship.

About the Scholarships

Brian Gialketsis SERQueer Scholarship

In April 2020, the TGIF Committee unanimously voted to establish a $5,000 recurring scholarship for the next three years in honor of Brian and his many contributions to environmental sustainability on the UC Berkeley campus: The Brian Gialketsis SERQueer Scholarship. This scholarship was renewed and increased to $10,000 in May 2023 through 2026. The name SERQueer comes from the group that Brian and other SERC alumni created in 2018, a group they described as “a community space for queer students working on environmental sustainability & justice”.

$2,000 scholarships will be awarded to five students selected by the SERQueer Scholarship Review Committee.

More information about the scholarship and how to apply can be found here.

Environmentalists of Color Scholarship

In May 2021, the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) secured funding from TGIF to establish a $10,000 recurring scholarship for the next three years to help bridge institutional gaps in support for Environmentalists of Color: The Environmentalist of Color Scholarship.  The scholarship was renewed in May 2023 to continue through 2026.  SERC hopes that this scholarship will not only support passionate environmentalists of color, but reimagine what community scholarships look like.

$2,000 scholarships will be rewarded to five students selected by the Environmentalist of Color Scholarship Review Committee.

More information about the scholarship and how to apply can be found here.