Fly Fishers Club of Orange County Richard Fanning Marine Studies Scholarship Fund

Please note that CSU Foundation Scholarships offered by the Chancellor’s Office are awarded based on applicants meeting the eligibility criteria and the quality of their submission for these scholarships.

The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office Committee will review all applications and select the top one to two qualified candidates by mid-April. These applicants will be nominated and forwarded to the Chancellors Scholarship Committee and applicants from the other CSU campuses to be reviewed in the summer for the upcoming academic year.

If selected as a nominee, additional documentation or information may be required. Nominees will receive a unique link from the Chancellor’s Office. Therefore, nominees should keep a copy of their original application in the event they are asked to resubmit their application or provide additional documents, as requested by the Chancellor’s Office.

This scholarship honors the memory of Richard Fanning, an advocate for educational opportunity, an avid flyfisher, and a good friend whose companionship, advice, and leadership, both on and off the stream, will long be remembered. The Fly Fishers Club of Orange County was founded in 1966 to further the sport of Fly Fishing. In addition to being a way to meet others who enjoy the sport, there were three goals in mind when the club was founded:

  • Educating the public,
  • Conserving the fisheries, and
  • Contributing resources to make fly fishing enjoyable and available to all interested.

The club has been working hard to meet its goals by sponsoring clinics and workshops, hosting noteworthy speakers, participating in conservation projects, and contributing its resources to various conservation organizations such as the Federation of Fly Fishers and (FFF), Trout Unlimited (TU), Cal Trout, and the Nature Conservancy. In addition, the club contributes to numerous other conservation activities directly beneficial to fly fishing.

The club has made annual scholarships available to CSU students studying marine sciences.

Applicants must:

  • Be in good standing with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
  • Demonstrate financial need as determined by the campus Financial Aid Office
  • Be currently enrolled as a full-time equivalent undergraduate student in marine-related studies at a CSU campus and must remain a full-time equivalent CSU student during the academic year
  • Or must be currently enrolled as a part-time equivalent graduate student in marine-related studies at a CSU campus and must remain a part-time equivalent CSU graduate student during the academic year
  • Demonstrate a commitment to community service in the fisheries biology field.

Personal Statement (300-word count for each):
1. What experience has impacted your personal growth?
2. Tell us about a time you failed. What did you learn from that experience?
3. Why are you pursuing your major? How does it relate to your career aspirations?
4. Provide an example of service beyond the classroom (i.e., have you taken on significant family obligations, helped others in a specific way, been involved in political action, worked/volunteered/interned at a particular organization, etc.). Why is this example significant to you?

Supplemental Question (300-word count):
5. Share your commitment to community service in the fisheries biology field.

Award
$1,500
Scopes
Financial Aid & Scholarship Office
Deadline
03/02/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. CSU Chancellor's Office Scholarship Personal Statement:
    • 1. What experience has impacted your personal growth?
    • 2. Tell us about a time you failed. What did you learn from that experience?
    • 3. Why are you pursing your major? How does it relate to your career aspirations?
    • 4. Provide an example of service beyond the classroom (i.e., have you taken on significant family obligations, helped others in a specific way, been involved in political action, worked/volunteered/interned at a particular organization, etc.). Why is this example significant to you?
  2. Share your commitment to community service in the fisheries biology field.