Jonathan Pierson, the first recipient of the Dustin and Kristen Yoder Memorial Foundation Scholarship, is riding his bike from Mexico to Canada to raise money for future scholarship recipients.

Student pedals from Mexico to Canada
to raise scholarship funds

Jonathan David Pierson, a parks and recreation management junior at Northern Arizona University, is pedaling his bicycle from Mexico to Canada to raise money for the Dustin and Kristen Yoder Memorial Foundation.

Pierson, the first recipient of the Dustin and Kristen Yoder Memorial Foundation Scholarship, is riding the length of the Continental Divide to raise funds as a way to "give back" to the foundation, created in honor of the brother and sister NAU students who died in a climbing accident in Peru last year.

"I am more than 50 days into my ride and only have about two weeks and 600 miles left," said Pierson, who is riding 2,700 miles and seeking donations for his effort.

"I never had a chance to meet Kristen and Dustin, but I feel we would have a lot in common in our pursuit of academic goals and the outdoors," Pierson said. "I take a lot of pride in knowing that I am helping to make the scholarship available to someone else."

Pierson is keeping a blog of his trek at www.jonpierson.wordpress.com. It includes how to donate in Pierson's name to the Dustin and Kristen Yoder Memorial Foundation Scholarship, which provides support to the NAU Foundation's Yoder Outdoor Leader Scholarship, also supported by the Yoder family.

To give to the Yoder Outdoor Leader Scholarship, contact project coordinator Karin Von Kay at (928) 523-3152 or e-mail Karin.Von.Kay@nau.edu.