The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation is a federal agency providing programs to promote leadership, education, collaboration, and conflict resolution in the areas of environment, public lands, and natural resources in order to strengthen Native nations, assist federal agencies and others to resolve environmental conflicts, and to encourage the continued use and appreciation of our nation’s rich resources.
The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to American Indian nations or to the environment. Each year, the Udall Foundation awards approximately 50 scholarships of up to $7,000 each, and anticipates that at least 20 scholarships will be awarded in Tribal Public Policy and Native Health Care. The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on American Indian self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.
Learn more about the Udall Scholarships and UW application process.
2023 – 2024 Nominees:
- Kayla Harstad, Nominee: Tribal Policy
- Grace Buckman, Honorable Mention: Environment
- Dahlia Gietka, Nominee: Environment
- Lily Peterson, Nominee: Environment
- Ava Vaughan, Nominee: Environment
Kayla Harstad
Sophomore, American Indian Studies
Kayla Harstad is studying Political Science and American Indian Studies at UW. She is an intern for the Urban Native Education Alliance (UNEA) grassroots non-profit that centers in on serving Indigenous youth in the greater Seattle area. UNEA was founded in 2008 to engage all generations to serve and empower Native youth through education, culture, and tradition. She currently serves as a “Special Projects Intern,” who helps promote leadership, mentorship building, activism, and advocacy to Native youth. During her time as intern for UNEA, she has worked on creating MMIWP proclamations, Land Acknowledgements, Moniker Removals, and Resolutions for the Seattle and Shoreline Public school districts with her fellow interns. Applying to the UDALL scholarship would allow her to network and gain opportunities with like minded peers and alumni who can help create connections to help further her academic journey, while also bringing the resources and knowledge back to her community.
Kayla’s tip: Reach to your community for guidance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help on drafts and finalizations from advisors, mentors, and community members. The tricky part to the prompts are being able to shorten and review your answers.
Grace Buckman – 2024 Honorable Mention
Junior, Political Science & Geography
I am pursuing a double major in Political Science and Geography. I was originally interested in a career in Environmental Science, and although I am still personally passionate about nature and the environment, I learned through experience that the policy and social aspects of the environment were what excited me the most. Within Geography, I can learn more in the fields of ecology, mapping, sustainability, and policy. I am particularly interested in the field of environmental justice within carceral systems and am currently working on a personal research project on this topic. In my free time, I dj for the student-run radio station here at UW, Rainy Dawg Radio!
Grace’s tip: Find a way to weave your experiences and interests into a cohesive story which can showcase your personal values.
Dahlia Gietka
Sophomore, Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management
My professional aspirations are to use my environmental science knowledge, my leadership, field, and research experience, and my collaboration skills to address the needs of communities living with the disproportionate impacts of climate change. I intend to address these needs by restoring culturally and environmentally significant landscapes. In order to thrive, communities need healthy, functioning, safe natural spaces to recreate, work, and live. I plan to engage in work that promotes the development of these spaces in Indigenous communities, communities of color, rural communities, coastal communities, and low income communities. These are the communities being most severely impacted by climate change. Therefore, we must prioritize their safety and well-being immediately. One way this could look is providing consultation to community groups looking to sustain urban agriculture enterprises. This could also look like assisting government organizations in assessing restoration needs and executing equitable restoration projects. Or, this might mean doing important research that provides the scientific community with insights about climate change and conservation needs. Ultimately, I am determined to use my skills, knowledge, and experience to support communities in need of ecological restoration.
Lily Peterson
Junior, Marine Biology & minor in Drama
My main interests as I pursue my undergraduate degree in Marine Biology lie in conservation research and marine mammal stranding. I have worked alongside the Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group to help in the conservation of Dungeness Crab populations in the Pacific Northwest waters, a threat facing our ecosystems as well as economics. I have also done a lot of my own research on the importance of eelgrass beds and their declining presence in the Salish Sea. In addition, taking classes spring quarter at the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories and being a running start student at the Ocean Research College Academy, I have been able to witness a lot of necropsies on stranded animals in the Salish Sea. I have not had a chance to get hands-on experience with this type of work yet, but I am hoping that the connections I have made in both of these environments will provide an experience soon. I am also passionate about advocacy for the health of our marine environments and have gotten the chance to lead high schoolers on field trips to teach them about our intertidal zones in the Salish Sea. Over the years, I have also gotten the chance to work with the Students Saving Salmon program, a non-proft in my hometown dedicated to public outreach and stream and marsh restoration with the intention of improving salmon habitats. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to apply for the Udall scholarship so that I can continue my passion of environmental advocacy and leadership and have some funding to continue research in the areas of conservation that I am passionate about, especially eelgrass restoration. I also hope that this scholarship will help fund my exit out of undergraduate school and into a graduate school program in Astrobiology. Having an alumni network and a network of other Udall Scholars available to me would be such a privilege and would get me one step further in achieving my many goals.
Ava Vaughan
Sophomore, Business Administration & Environmental Studies
I have always been passionate about changing the world for the better. When deciding my career trajectory, I wanted something that would allow me to enact widespread action, while providing my life with meaning. With this criteria in mind, I set off on a path that fused my passion for equity and community with the largest challenge our population has ever faced: the climate crisis. As a dual degree in business administration and environmental studies, I plan to marry a firm understanding of market systems and the environment to decarbonize our economy. Growing up in a small agricultural community and minoring in nutrition, I strongly believe in the importance of food sovereignty. I plan to focus my work on the intersection of food, public health, and economic development. Currently, I am the Vice President of Net Impact, a student organization that promotes sustainability at the Foster School of Business and connects students with careers in the climate space. I am also a member of the Dirty Dozen Student Farm Club, where I get the opportunity to work with the UW community to advance sustainable food systems. As a Student Representative on the board of the Population Health Initiative, I take great pride in seeing how the different pieces of my education and extracurriculars fit together.
Ava’s tip: Take advantage of the advisors! They are extremely helpful!
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Scholarship Archive
Browse our archive for more Udall Scholarship history.