Blazing a Trail: Scholarships Help UMW Chemistry Major Find His Purpose

Sean McGavin’s college journey has taken him along diverse and far-reaching paths – hiking the Appalachian Trail, traversing the wilds of Montana and crossing the ocean to the Galápagos Islands. But the UMW senior knows his path wouldn’t have been possible without the University of Mary Washington.

“I want to make the world a better place,” McGavin said. While majoring in chemistry, he has served as a wildland firefighter and plans to use his science background to develop more environmentally safe ways of extinguishing the flames. “I didn’t know my purpose before coming to Mary Washington, but I found it here.”

Sean McGavin ’25 and his donor, Sally Brannan Hurt ’92, pose for a photo at the Celebration of Giving in November 2024. The Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 Study Abroad Scholarship has enabled Sean and dozens of other UMW students to study abroad in the Galápagos Islands. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

At the Celebration of Giving in November, McGavin, a chemistry major, shared his journey from hiking the Appalachian Trail to fighting fires in Montana to studying in the Galápagos Islands. He expressed gratitude for the private scholarship support he received to attend the University of Mary Washington and engage in study abroad. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

McGavin in the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia during his hike of the Appalachian Trail. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.

McGavin participating in a controlled burn in Montana in the summer of 2022. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.

The volcanic crater that McGavin hiked during the Galápagos Islands trip. He said the information he gained about the islands’ preservation efforts has been critical to his understanding of wildland firefighting. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.

McGavin shared his story at UMW’s Celebration of Giving in November, when he told a room full of donors – including his own benefactor – how the Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 Study Abroad Scholarship gave him the chance to visit one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Numerous students have witnessed the flora and fauna found on the tiny archipelago off the coast of Ecuador because of Hurt’s generosity to her alma mater.

“Getting to experience a global ecological treasure like the Galápagos Islands inspires students like nothing else,” said Professor of Biological Sciences Andrew Dolby, who conducts the faculty-led trip for students and guided the UMW Alumni on the Road excursion that influenced Hurt to establish her scholarship. “Sally opens up the world for students who would not be able to travel internationally without her support.”

That’s true for McGavin, who didn’t feel ready for college after graduating from high school in Alexandria, Virginia. Instead, he spent part of a gap year hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine, while he figured out his next steps. “It made me realize how much I wanted a life and a job where I could work with birds above my head and bugs crawling across my boot.”

Read more at Giving.umw.edu.