Arlington High School student wins Thoreau Scholarship
COURTESY OF THE HENRY DAVID THOREAU FOUNDATION
Liam Nokes, a student at Arlington High School, will be entering college this autumn as a Thoreau Scholar.
The scholarship, named for the 19th-century naturalist and author Henry David Thoreau, is a prestigious award given annually to only eight Massachusetts high school seniors.
The son of Nuria Gine-Nokes and Keith Nokes, Liam credits his interest in the environment to his grandfather Evarist, who taught him about mushrooms. Growing up in Catalonia in Francoist Spain, Evarist hunted mushrooms to help feed his family; in passing along his knowledge to his grandson, Evarist taught Liam about his heritage and the fungi that is the backbone of the biosphere. Liam later expanded upon his early interest in mushrooms by interning with Donald Pfister of Harvard University and studying Boston Harbor Island’s lichens and the effect of water pollution upon them. Liam one day hopes to ha