DIS Blog
Highlighting our Green Scholarship recipients
This year marks the first year of impact for the DIS Green Education Fund, following its launch last year.
At DIS, we’re committed to making education more accessible while empowering students to become sustainability leaders in their careers and communities. This bold three-year initiative expands scholarships for students pursuing sustainability-focused studies at DIS and fully funds participation in the Arctic Experiential Studies: Greenland Summer Session.
Read on to meet some of the Spring 2026 Green Scholarship recipients, all of whom are receiving significant financial support for their semester abroad. These students were selected for their commitment to addressing the world’s complicated environmental challenges and their demonstrated engagement in confronting the climate crisis.
Alex Azzara, Lehigh University
Core Course: Sustainable Development in Northern Europe
Major: Environmental Engineering
“I am interested to learn about how Denmark sorts and recycles their waste. While I am there I will properly dispose of products, but also try to reduce my consumption and use reusable items whenever possible. I am looking forward to gaining a better understanding of how the Danish trash collection system works, and the different initiatives in place to act more sustainably.”
Aman Vora, Brown University
Core Course: Globalization and European Economies
Major: Computational Biology
“Europe offers a contrasting model for climate policy: ambitious emissions targets, cross-border cooperation, and robust public support. In Denmark, I hope to explore how EU institutions respond to widening gaps in U.S. leadership, what messaging resonates most with European voters, and how policymakers ensure that vulnerable communities, within and beyond Europe, are protected. I’m particularly eager to engage with the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency and the Danish Institute for International Studies, to see how interdisciplinary policy research shapes real-world implementation.”
Cooper Penkava, Olin College of Engineering
Core Course: Engineering Sustainable Environments in Scandinavia
Major: Mechanical Engineering
“As I meet more people passionate about sustainability through my college’s climate justice organization, beekeeping co-curricular, and more, the fire in my heart grows only stronger. I know I want to use my education to craft a career that works towards sustainability, and visiting Stockholm will be paramount to that education.”
Harrison Zoller, Lafayette College
Core Course: Sustainable Food: Consumption and Production
Major: Environmental Studies
“Studying abroad through DIS gives me the opportunity to observe agricultural production under conditions vastly different than my own. More relevant to my work on campus, however, I have the opportunity to understand how those with different geographic and cultural backgrounds view food and activism.”
Linda Hang, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Core Course: Environmental Science of the Arctic: Ice Cores and Ice Ages
Major: Environmental Studies
“While abroad, I want to learn more about Danish sustainability practices and how they live, whilst also bringing to the table my knowledge of how the Hmong people maintained their land and environment for generations. In Denmark, I don’t just want to go learn about glacial hydrology and implications for water sustainability, but also exchange global environmental perspectives in agriculture, social sciences, and create a more nuanced perspective of the world for myself.”
Sophia Weisberger, University of Colorado Boulder
Core Course: European Business Strategy: Case Studies
Major: Environmental Studies
“I chose the DIS program because of the sustainable business classes offered. Through investment and strategy classes, I’ll gain tools to help companies transition to a green economy. Networking with sustainable companies like Contribe.io and attending events such as Decarbon Copenhagen 2026 will connect my classroom learning with real-world innovation.”