IRISH AWARD RECIPIENT — Anna Williams receives the 2014 Joan Irish Award from Moira Yip of the Kezar Lake Watershed Association.

LOVELL — Anna Williams of Lovell is the 2014 recipient of the Kezar Lake Watershed Association’s Joan Irish Award.

Given annually since 2008 in memory of the Association’s longtime president, the award recognizes a student residing in the Kezar Lake watershed who has shown a serious interest in the environment and who intends to pursue that interest at the college level. The winner is selected by local high schools from among their top-graduating seniors.

The daughter of Patrick and Penny Williams of Shave Hill Road in Lovell, Anna grew up on a farm, close to the land in a way that is rarer and rarer for her generation. She graduated from Fryeburg Academy in June and will attend the University of Maine, Orono this fall.

Anna explains that “during my senior year, I took AP Environmental Studies, and I have always been interested in and concerned about environmental issues, in particular waste pollution and animal well-being. I haven’t yet committed to a major, but I’m considering going into environmental science or English. After college, I hope to be able to find a job that I’ll love enough so that it doesn’t feel like work!”

Anna’s favorite outdoor activities include swimming and gardening. She is also very active in the arts. A former dancer, she was a leading performer in Fryeburg Academy’s Jazz Ensemble.

Previous winners of the Joan Irish Award are Aaron Tripp, Jesse Sawin, Esme Marie, Lauren Brooking, Sylvia Brooks and Sasha Azel.