Marine life center to award scholarships at gala
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, May 6, 2026
PORT ANGELES — The Feiro Marine Life Center will award scholarships to two students during its Making Waves Gala and Auction at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
The fundraising gala, celebrating the center’s 45th year, will be at Field Arts & Events Hall, 201 W. Front St., Port Angeles.
Tickets are $100 per person at https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2026feiro makingwaves.
Amalia Bell, a senior at Port Angeles High School, will receive a $1,000 Feiro Family Scholarship.
Bell plans to study environmental science with a focus on wildlife along with a minor in dance at Western Washington University in Bellingham. She earned a varsity letter in community service by volunteering more than 145 hours each year of high school.
“On Saturdays, I volunteer as a naturalist at the Feiro Marine Life Center,” Bell wrote. “For the past three years, I’ve participated in the Audubon winter bird count. During the summer, I’ve assisted with night sky telescope programs in Olympic National Park, and this year I will join the annual Olympic marmot population surveys.”
Ginger “Cooper” Hiatt, a 2025 Sequim High School graduate, will receive a $1,000 Robert J. Campbell Memorial Scholarship.
The scholarship, named in honor of Robert J. “Spongebob” Campbell, the center’s former facilities manager, supports students pursuing degrees in the natural sciences, with preference for marine science.
The scholarship is open to students studying anywhere in the country as long as they previously lived and attended public, private or home school in Clallam or Jefferson counties.
Hiatt is studying marine biology, aquatic conservation and ecology at the University of Washington.
“I never would have been exposed to marine science before college if I hadn’t learned about Feiro at a career fair,” Hiatt said. “Being there and interacting with people who were as curious as I am was so much fun, and I loved connecting with guests.”
The gala will feature speakers who will highlight the marine center’s past, present and future, including community leaders Carol Johnson, Deborah Moriarty and Kelly Higgins with her daughter, Izzy.
The gala will include silent and live auctions, a raffle and a raise-the-paddle fundraiser.
Proceeds will support Feiro’s operations, including education and citizen science programs.
