Dylan Striek, a graduate of Hopkinton High School, earned a Thoreau Scholarship.

Hopkinton High School graduate Dylan Striek was named winner of a prestigious Thoreau Scholarship, a $26,000 award that will benefit him as he begins his studies at Dartmouth College.

The Henry David Thoreau Scholarship is a four-year tuition scholarship awarded annually to eight students graduating from high schools in Massachusetts. Given through the Henry David Thoreau Foundation, the scholarship “identifies and supports outstanding young leaders from Massachusetts who are committed to safeguarding the environmental welfare of future generations,” according to the foundation’s website.

Seniors awarded the scholarship can enroll in any college or university in the world while they major or minor in an environmental-related field. Thoreau Scholars are encouraged to enroll in internships or study abroad to broaden their awareness and understanding of environmental issues.

The Thoreau Foundation further assists its scholarship winners by identifying environmental-related internships, offering internship stipends and providing networking opportunities. A sign of success of the foundation’s mission to foster environmental leadership is the support past scholarship winners provide to present winners.

Striek is attending Dartmouth College with plans to study environmental engineering and economics while looking for innovative ways to save the environment. And although he has just entered college, Striek already is working, through his inventions, to bridge the gap between effective solutions and societal change. 

Growing up in Boston, Striek thought it was normal for water to be dark and polluted, but a visit to Nova Scotia, Canada, changed his view. There, water was flourishing with life. In response to his discovery, Striek developed a procedure to perform electrolysis on the ocean water, extracting carbon dioxide and reducing overall pollution. 

For a significant port city like Boston, this device, if attached to thousands of cargo ships entering and exiting each day, could help its water flourish. 

Striek continues to innovate for a cleaner, more sustainable future.