News Articles

Each of this years six PTYC Scholarship recipients have unique backgrounds that have brought them to their present career goals in the maritime sciences and trades. Three will enroll in, or are already attending, four year universities, one will train in diesel engines at Bellingham Technical Institute, and two will study at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building. The total awarded this year is $11,500. Here are their stories.

Akeyla Behrenfeld: Oceanography/ Marine Biology, at UW or WWU, $2500. Now a senior at Port Townsend High School, Akeyla Behrenfeld has demonstrated her commitment to an ambitious schedule of AP classes, membership in numerous school clubs, and service as the youth representative on the Jefferson County Marine Resources Committee. She joined the High School Sailing Team in 6th grade, at the age of 12 she competed in the Northwest Maritime’s Seventy/48 Race, and then she returned a second year to race again in her self-built Collin Angus Expedition rowboat. She also trained at the Puget Sound Voyaging School, has apprenticed with Force 10 Sailmakers and Riggers, and is now job shadowing with Marine Surveys and Assessments. Having worked to relocate marine animals from the Point Hudson breakwater with Washington Scuba Alliance, she is now earning her SCUBA Rescue Diver and Dive Master certificates. Her goal is to study oceanography or marine biology at either Western Washington University or the University of Washington and to make her career in marine research and conservation in order to make the ocean her workplace.

Conall Fox Gallagher: Marine Systems, at NWSWB, $500. As a current student at Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building, Conall Fox Gallagher has discovered his interest in marine electrical, heating, and plumbing systems. He enjoys fixing problems, applying his ingenuity to small scale component repair, which he developed when dismantling and rebuilding alternators and generators. Following completion of his marine system education, he plans to make his way into the local workforce to acquire baseline training in a real world environment. He would like to consolidate his knowledge by working in the install boating industry, such as at an aluminum boat building company. Further on, he plans to build a multihull, for which he is considering a James Wharram Tiki 30 or 38 design. Conall will use his scholarship to meet his current student expenses.

Isaac Johnson: Marine Diesel Technology, Bellingham Technical Institute, $2000. Port Townsend High School senior Isaac Johnson has chosen to go to Bellingham Technical Institute to study diesel technology, where he can find the kind of program to build his career. His long term plan is to work a few years as a diesel technician and then pursue a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Isaac developed his interest and skills working on his own car, an older Toyota 4 Runner with a Mercedes 5 cylinder engine installed, that had no repair manual to guide him. This led to solving each mechanical puzzle himself and seeing his accomplishments come to fruition. He notes that there is presently a huge shortage of diesel engine mechanics, a need which he hopes to help meet. Isaac has also volunteered at the Wooden Boat Festival and taught sailing at The NW Maritime Center’s “Learn to Sail” summer camp. After his studies, he intends to return to Port Townsend and work alongside those who have already inspired him.

Nathan Lore: Boatbuilding, NWSWB, $2000. Currently a student in the NWSWB 12 month program, Nathan Lore is drawn to boat design, pattern making and complex joinery. He sees his education and career direction as carpentry through the lens of boat restoration and repair work. His plan after graduation is to find a position at Boat Haven, or possibly to intern at NWSWB, or to attend their Marine Systems Program. He wants to stay in this area and contribute to the community, economy, and tradition of Port Townsend’s boat workers. The scholarship will allow him to focus solely on his studies in order to maximize his success at school. Nathan has been exploring Oregon and Washington’s flat water rivers and lakes since childhood and wants to eventually have his own small motor boat for fishing, crabbing, and further exploration in the Puget Sound region.

Nathaniel Ashford: Marine Biology, at Willamette University, $2000. Now in his freshman year at Willamette University, Nathaniel Ashford’s plan is to continue studying biology, marine biology and chemistry, with the goal of pursuing sustainable ocean futures through a maritime engineering career. He is the pilot and engineer of the the Sea Dragons ROV Team, who custom built a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) that can operate underwater. The Sea Dragons ROV Team, a key project of the Port Townsend STEM club founded in 2011, has devised a method using their ROV to recover the many abandoned crab pots in the Puget Sound Area, of which there are an estimated 12,000. In 2024, the team also collaborated with the Olympic Coastal National Marine Sanctuary to capture underwater video of the instrumentation of a disabled buoy. Nathaniel and his team receive an ongoing grant from the the National Marine Sanctuary to co-host workshops for rural and tribal robotics students on the Olympic Peninsula. Their instruction focuses on undersea exploration techniques and the development of industrial grade ROVs. This grant, which will be his second from PTYC, will help Nathaniel to continue his education and his ROV exploration and teaching projects.

Alana Hamman, Marine Science, at Peninsula College and WWU, $2500. Beginning with summers as a child on her grandparents sailboat, exploring the San Juan and Gulf Islands, Alana Hamman has loved the ocean. She first learned about her field of interest, marine biology, on a whale watching excursion in Hawaii. After living in California and Arizona, she returned as a high school senior to the Pacific Northwest to study at the Port Townsend Maritime Academy, while taking college level classes at Peninsula College’s Running Start Program. She has volunteered at the Marine Science Center’s marine biology summer camps and has registered for work experience studying and tending sea kelp. Alana’s plan is to take her prerequisite classes at Peninsula College and transfer to Western Washington University’s Marine Science Program. She believes that climate change is inevitable, but that it can be delayed if we work together for solutions. Her goal, as a future marine biologist, is to be part of the mission to mitigate the effects of climate change on the oceans.