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

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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,” Sean 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 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 Sally’s generosity to her alma mater.

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, Sean, 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.

“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 Sally to establish her scholarship. “She opens up the world for students who would not be able to travel internationally without her support.”

That’s true for Sean, 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.”

After his 2,200-mile trek, Sean applied to Mary Washington, calling it “close enough to home, but far enough away to spread my wings.”

He decided to major in chemistry after a course with adjunct instructor Caleb Strepka and appreciated the support he found from faculty members like Sarah Smith ’12, Leanna Giancarlo, and Davis Oldham. “They taught me how to be expressive and creative in how I tackled problems, even in the lab.”

Outside of class, he joined UMW’s Ultimate Frisbee team, bonding with one of the captains, a former wildland firefighter. Sean has spent the last three summers doing just that in Montana, learning all he can to protect the trees, plants, and wildlife that dwell there.

“I realized that it was a career path where I could help people and take care of forests, which have given me such a sense of peace in my life,” said Sean, citing fires that have wiped out acres in Hawaii and Greece, and most recently, Southern California. “Wildland firefighting requires a deep understanding of ecological systems and diverse environments.”

A photo of Sean hiking to the top of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, which has some of the most unpredictable weather in the world. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.
Sean in the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia during his hike of the Appalachian Trail. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.
A picture of a fire in Montana that Sean’s crew was tasked with controlling during nighttime operations. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.
Sean participating in a controlled burn in Montana in the summer of 2022. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.
The volcanic crater that Sean 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.
In the Galápagos Islands, Sean observed wildlife he had been fascinated by since he was a child, including marine iguanas. Photo courtesy of Sean McGavin.

He gained that from the Galápagos trip, where he planted trees and observed the giant tortoises and the marine iguanas that had fascinated him since childhood.

But even more important was learning about the islands’ preservation efforts.

“The chemicals currently being used to combat fires can often suffocate birds and animals and raise heavy metal levels in fish,” Sean said. After graduating from Mary Washington, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry so he can develop a wildlife-safe fire retardant that can be used in many different environments.

“The chemistry department, the Frisbee team, and the opportunities that Sally has provided have made me who I am and have given me the support to achieve my dreams of saving the forests that gave me so much joy as a child,” Sean said. “This wouldn’t have been possible for me without her scholarship, and I’ll never forget that.”

Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive scholarships, research fellowships, and internship grants.

Read more about the next UMW Alumni on the Road trip to the Galápagos Islands now booking for June 2025. 

– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 

Why I Give: Sally Brannan Hurt ’92

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Growing up in rural Southwest Virginia, Sally Brannan Hurt dreamed of travel. She finally got her chance to go abroad to the Bahamas during a spring break trip in college. Yet, she realized she yearned to see rainforests and savannas more than she wanted to sunbathe in the sand.

Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 with a giant tortoise in the Galápagos Islands on a Mary Washington Alumni on the Road trip. The experience led her to establish the Sally Brannan Hurt '92 Study Abroad Scholarship in Biology to support students go on faculty-led trips to the islands. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.
Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 with a giant tortoise in the Galápagos Islands on a Mary Washington Alumni on the Road trip. The experience led her to establish the Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 Study Abroad Scholarship in Biology to support students go on faculty-led trips to the islands. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.

“Being in nature brings me joy,” said Sally, who has since visited some of the most biodiverse places on the planet through the University of Mary Washington’s Alumni on the Road trips. “I love seeing plants, insects, and animals that aren’t in my neck of the woods.”

UMW students have been able to take their own excursions because of the Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 Study Abroad Scholarship in Biology, which she established soon after going on an Alumni trip to the Galápagos Islands in 2011. Under the direction of Professor of Biology Andrew Dolby, dozens of her recipients have explored the flora and fauna found on this remote archipelago off the coast of Ecuador.

“Getting to experience a global ecological treasure like the Galápagos Islands inspires students like nothing else,” said Dr. Dolby, who helped Sally work with UMW’s Office of Advancement to set up the scholarship. “Sally opens up the world for students who would not be able to travel internationally without support.”

That’s true of Kylie Jackson ’24, who was surprised to learn her donor grew up near her hometown of Rocky Mount, Virginia. Along with her classmates, the UMW senior visited four different islands during spring break, where she observed and learned about wildlife from local guides, visited research facilities, hiked and snorkeled, and planted native trees for a forest restoration project. She also saw sea lions, marine iguanas, blue-footed booby birds, and more, and even had an up-close encounter with a large group of sea turtles.

“I’m beyond grateful to Sally,” said Kylie, a conservation biology major who hopes to pursue a career helping to protect endangered species around the world. “Without this scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to experience what life as a conservationist could be like,” she said.

Kylie Jackson ’24 on a faculty-led trip to the Galápagos Islands. Receiving the Sally Brannan Hurt ’92 Study Abroad Scholarship in Biology made the trip possible for her, Kylie said. Photo courtesy of Kylie Jackson.
UMW students plant trees for a forest restoration project in the Galápagos Islands. For more than a decade, Sally Brannan Hurt’s scholarship has helped dozens of students visit one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Photo courtesy of Professor of Biology Andrew Dolby.
A Galápagos sea lion, taken by Kylie Jackson.
A Galápagos finch, taken by Kylie Jackson.
Green sea turtles, taken by Kylie Jackson.
A marine iguana in the Galápagos Islands, taken by Kylie Jackson.

As a child, Sally rarely left Botetourt County but envisioned life outside her small town. Knowing that she’d be the first in her family to attend a four-year school, her high school chemistry teachers, Lorraine Huffman Firestone ’62 and Louise Shick Jargowsky ’68, both Mary Washington alumni, took her to a local college fair to meet an admissions representative from their alma mater.

Sally at her Mary Washington Commencement ceremony in 1992. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.
Sally at her Mary Washington Commencement ceremony in 1992. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.

“From the very beginning, I knew Mary Washington was the right fit for me,” said Sally, who majored in biology with a concentration in environmental science. She also studied dance, served as a resident assistant, and formed close relationships with faculty and friends. “If I could relive any time in my life, I’d go back to college in a heartbeat.”

After graduation, Sally worked within the chemistry field in various positions and raised four children with husband Michael. In her free time, she pursued her passion through local conservation efforts to preserve wildlife and their environments.

Over a decade ago, Sally received a brochure in the mail for the Galápagos Islands Alumni trip and immediately told her husband she wanted to go. “It was everything I wanted to experience,” she said. With Dr. Dolby as their guide, her group came face-to-face with giant tortoises, colorful birds, and marine iguanas camouflaged into the rocks.

Now, because of her scholarship, UMW students who share her passion for conservation can experience these cool creatures themselves. Sally loves to hear their stories, exchanging letters and meeting them whenever she gets the chance.

“The sentiment is always the same; there’s no way I could have gone on this trip without you,” Sally said. “I hope it sparks a love of travel that continues throughout their lives.”

Sally poses with dozens of marine iguanas camouflaged into the rocks, one of the many species found on the biodiverse Galápagos Islands. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.
Sally (fourth from right) with her fellow Mary Washington alumni who went on the Alumni on the Road trip to the Galápagos Islands, led by Professor Dolby (far right), in 2011. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.
Sally took advantage of a a Peru extension on the Mary Washington Alumni on the Road trip to the Galápagos Islands. Here, she stands in front of Machu Picchu. Photo courtesy of Sally Brannan Hurt.

Q: What other UMW Alumni trips have you been on?
A: I traveled to Costa Rica this January, where I saw several active sloths, which is a rare sight because they usually don’t move! While I was there, I was notified that a spot had opened on the Africa trip. In June, I got to see so many magnificent animals roaming free: lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, baboons, and amazing birds!

Q: What would you say to inspire a fellow alum to create a scholarship?
A: If you have passion for any part of the Mary Washington experience, no amount of money is too small to contribute to the education of current and future students.

Q: What is your favorite spot on campus?
A: Mine is more campus adjacent. I love Mary’s Rock by Kenmore Park. It’s so beautiful and quiet. On campus, I loved my window overlooking Ball Circle when I was an RA in Virginia Hall.

Q: Where are you traveling to next?
A: After I traveled to Africa, I thought it was such an amazing experience but realized there’s so much of the United States I still want to see. However, I’d also like to do volunteer vacationing, specifically working with sea turtles.

To learn more about establishing scholarships, please contact the Office of Advancement at (540) 654-1024 or advance@umw.edu. To find out about upcoming Alumni on the Road trips, please visit the Mary Washington Alumni website.

View more of Sally’s photos from 2023 Mary Washington Alumni on the Road trips to Africa and Costa Rica:

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This story originally ran in the Advancing Mary Washington newsletter and was written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04.