In recognition of KG and her spirit of environmental action, hard work and commitment to science communication, the family and friends of Kim wish to establish the KG Environmental Sustainability Action Scholarship at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Mont. The KG Environmental Sustainability Action Scholarship will consist of four (4) $1,000 awards.

The scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship awarded to an incoming Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior. 

KG (Kimberly Giannone) BIO                              

KG was a force. In and out of the classroom. In the classroom, she encouraged her peers to make the most of their education. As a non-traditional student who identified as ‘old’ even though she was only 45, KG was acutely aware of how amazing our small classes, experiential programs, undergraduate research, and professional networking opportunities were for professional growth. She took her own advice to make the most of her time at Montana Western and worked late into the evenings revising her writing, practicing math problems, and troubleshooting her way through computer programs such as MS Excel, MATLAB, and ArcGIS Pro. It wasn’t pretty, her stress was palpable, she was self-deprecating, and there were always curse words, but she cared - deeply cared - about understanding the content and being able to apply what she was learning. Growing up in inner-city Philadelphia and having had to overcome so much, she knew how to persevere. Although she identified as ‘stupid’ she wasn’t and her hard work paid off. She had a 4.0 GPA in her degree along with a list of awards, honors, and achievements. 

KG was passionate about understanding the natural world and sharing this knowledge with others. KG was a storyteller. She was an incredible photographer and her work was always telling a story about people and places. One of many passion projects was interviewing producers about their lived-experience and working to tell their story of land stewardship in Southwest Montana. KG was authentic and her authenticity was magnetic. KG’s love of people and their stories made it easy for others to share themselves with her. 

 To honor and carry on the legacy of KG, we are establishing the KG Environmental Sustainability Action Scholarship.