Page Breon and Theresa Morris Receive SOBA Scholarships

Page Breon (left); Theresa Morris

SOBA has announced that the recipients of the Paul Bisso Beach Preservation Scholarship will be Page Breon and Theresa Morris, both of Galveston, Texas. Each will receive $2,000 to further their studies in Marine Biology.

Ms. Page Breon of Galveston (left) spent her childhood in Ohio and moved to League City, Texas, to graduate from Cedar Falls High School. She developed a passion for the Gulf Coast that resulted in her pursuing her Master’s Degree in Marine Biology at Texas Agriculture and Mining University (TAMU) at Galveston. She as Nesting Program Manager for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research, she engages with both locals and tourists to help make the beach a better place for the species that inhabit it. She notes that “it is important to me to emphasize the significance of conservation efforts in beach locations and how they play a crucial role in maintaining the overall health and balance of our environment.”

Ms. Theresa Morris of Galveston (right) is currently the Program Coordinator, Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital Manager, for the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research. She coordinates the annual NestFest cleanup event that is a collaboration between five different local conservation and volunteer groups. The goal is to encourage the public to learn about local marine species and clean the beaches to prepare them for the nesting animals. She received both ser Bachelor of Science (BS) and Master of Science (MS) in Marine Biology at TAMU at Galveston. She is currently pursuing a doctorate (PhD) in Marine Biology, also at TAMU in Galveston. Her dissertation research will focus on collecting sea turtle data to compare it to eDNA and verify if this is a dependable tool for detecting endangered sea turtles in the Christmas Bay and greater Galveston Bay area. She created an after-school gardening program with the Galveston Independent School District (GISD) to install “Sea Turtle Gardens” in which the students grow vegetables to feed sea turtle patients in the GCSTR rehab hospital.

The scholarship is named in honor of Surfside Beach resident Paul Joseph Bisso, an avid surfer who tragically lost his life in a car accident in 2013. He was a graduate of Klein Collins High School in Spring, Texas, and the son of current Surfside Beach Mayor, Gregg Bisso. More information is available on the SOBA website at sobatx.org.