THE
Morris K. Udall FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT POLICY
Nominee Information Form
I, Firstname Lastname
, understand that I have been nominated for a Morris K. Udall scholarship and my wish to
be considered. Permission is hereby given to officials of my institution to release transcripts of my academic record and other
requested information for consideration in the Morris K. Udall scholarship program. I understand that this application will be
available only to qualified people who need to see it in the course of their duties.
I affirm that I plan to pursue a career related to the environment, or that I am a Native American or Alaska Native and plan to
pursue a career related to health care or tribal public policy
I affirm that the information contained herein is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Signature Firstname Lastname
Date
xx/xx/200x
Biographical Questionnaire
The selection of scholarship recipients will be influenced be the completeness, neatness, and legibility of replies. This form
and the essay may be typed or printed by computer within the indicated margins. See www.udall.gov for PDF fillable format
of all nomination forms. Font size may not be small than 12 characters per inch, or 11 point. If you have more activities,
work experience, and/or awards than the space allows, list only those you consider most significant. Inserts and additional
pages will not be accepted.
A. You, the Nominee
Legal name in full
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
x.
Last
First
M.I.
xxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxx
City
State
Legal address
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Street and number
Sex [] Male
Date of birth xx/xx/19xx
Are you:
Zip code
[x] Female
Age
[x] U.S. citizen
xx
[] U.S. national
E-mail address
xxxxxxx@smith.edu
Permanent telephone
(xxx) xxx-xxxx
School telephone
(413) 585-xxxx
[] Resident alien
(Resident aliens must include a letter stating your intent to become a U.S. citizen and a copy of your Alien Registration Card.)
Which year are you in the current academic year, as defined on page 2 of the booklet?
[x] Sophomore
[] Junior
For Nominees in fields related to health care or tribal public policy:
Are you a Native American or Alaska Native?
[] Yes
[x] No
If yes, please indicate how your status has been established and provide the documentation required on page 4 of this booklet.
[] Member of Indian trip, band, or organized group
Tribe/Band/Group
Location
[] Descendent of Tribal Member
Relation
[] Deemed by Secretary of the Interior
[] Eskimo, Aleut or Alaska Native
Tribe
B. Your Schooling
What is your undergraduate major(s)?
Geology, minor in Biology
What is your cumulative GPA from all schools attended?
x.xx
How many credits does your school require for graduation?
128
On a scale of:
How many total credits toward graduation have you earned as of January 1?
When do you expect your baccalaureate degree?
4.0
xx
May, 200x
If you are currently enrolled in a two-year institution, what four-year institution do you plan to attend?
[] I have applied.
What graduate degree, if any, do you plan to pursue?
[] I have been admitted.
Environmental Science, K-12 Education
1. In one or two sentences, describe your career goal:
I would like to teach children to appreciate their natural surroundings and understand the deleterious
effects that current human activities have upon the environment. Educational efforts directed towards this
age group, particularly ones that involve first-hand, active learning, are essential to instill a sense of
environmental stewardship and to protect the environment for future generations.
2. Beginning with the school you currently attend, list all schools you attended in the last four years, including
any for summer or special courses. If more than four months elapsed between high school and entry into college,
please state your activities during that time. Also, list any significant work completed more than four years ago.
School
Location
Dates attended
GPA/GPA scale
Smith College
Lycee Jean-Mace
Skaneateles High School
Northampton, MA
Niort, France
Skaneateles, NY
9/2001-present
9/2000-6/2001
9/1996-6/2000
x.xx/4.0
N/A
xx.x/100
3. List courses in your major in which you are currently enrolled, in your major in which you plan to enroll before
graduation ,and environmental/health care/public policy/ethics courses outside your major in which you are
currently enrolled or plan to enroll. List courses by title, not by catalog number used by your institution.
Courses in major/
Currently enrolled
Courses in major/
plan to enroll
Environmental/health care
public policy/ethics courses
outside of major enrolled or planned to enroll
Geomorphology
Petrology
Sedimentology
Public Policy and Natural Resources
Structural Geology
Env. Science and Policy of the Tropics
Tectonics and Earth History Political Ecology
Paleoecology
Geo. and Eco. of Coral Reefs
Minor Courses:
Tropical Biology
4. List any awards, honors, or scholarships you have received.
First Group Scholar, Dean's List, Smith College, 2002
STRIDE Scholar (a research position offered to highest rated applicants in applicant pool), Smith College,
2001-present Smith College Summer Student Research Grant for research on introduced species on the
Oregon coast, summer 2002 Blasland, Bouck and Lee scholarship, 2001
Valedictorian, Skaneateles High School class of 2000; AP Scholar with Distinction, 2000; National Merit
Finalist, 2000 New York State Envirothon scholarships, as a result of winning NYS Envirothon
Competitions, 1999, 2000
Cayuga County Soil and Water Conservation District
scholarship, 2000 Skaneateles Garden Club scholarship, 2000
Gold Medal, New York State School Music Association violin solo, 1999, 2000
Cornell Book Award, 1999, Rensselear Medal, 1999, Gold Medal, National Latin Exam, 1996, 1997, 1998
C. Your Programs and Activities
1. List any program and activities in which you have participated at your school (such as clubs, publications,
debate, dramatics, music, art, and student government). Please an * in front of those activities you consider
most important.
College activity
Dates participated
*STRIDE research program
*Smith College Smiffenpoofs
*Smith Crew team
French Language House
Smith College Orchestra
9/2001-present
9/2001-present
9/2001-present
9/2001-present
9/2001-5/2002
Office held
Business Manager of a capella group
High school activity
*Environmental Club, 1996-2000, Secretary 1999-2000
*Envirothon Competition, 1997-2000 (New York State Champions 1999,
2000) High School Orchestra, 1996-2000, concertmistress 1997-2000
*Syracuse Symphony Youth Orchestra, 1998-2000
National Honors Society, 1998-2000
High School Chorus, 1996-2000, select Madrigal Choir, 1998-2000, barbershop quartet, 1997-2000
High School Drama Club. 1996-2000
2. Describe briefly any public service and community activities associated with your interests in the
environment, Native American health care or tribal public policy in which you regularly participate. Explain
the duration, degree, and significance of your involvement. In addition, describe briefly any other skills or
accomplishments you consider significant and relevant to this application.
Since I was 13, I have volunteered at Baltimore Woods Nature Center, located in Marcellus, NY. During
the school year, I have helped with environmental education programs for elementary age children. I
volunteered for three summers at their educational day camp (where I have since been employed as a
counselor). I have also volunteered in environmental festivals and in groundskeeping activities (planting
and weeding wildflower gardens, removing an invasive plant species by hand, etc.). While volunteering at
this nature center, I was able to apply my knowledge of the environment to real-life situations. I also
learned from professional environmental educators how to teach children about their natural surroundings
so that they will learn to love and care for the environment, as well as understand natural processes.
For four years in high school I was on the Skaneateles High School Envirothon Team. This competition
required a comprehensive background in the sciences and the environment, and my upbringing, as well as
my education at nature camps and in high school, allowed me to contribute fully to my team's success.
During both my junior and senior years, my team won the Regional and State Envirothon Competitions
and participated in the International Envirothon Competitions in California and Nova Scotia. These
competitions introduced me to peers who were also deeply interested in the environment. Not only did I
obtain valuable information concerning current environmental issues, but I also learned the importance of
communication between those who are similarly interested in the environment.
3. List jobs (including summer employment) you have held in the past three or four years.
Job and kind of work
(summer/school year)
Employer
Dates of employment
STRIDE research
Research Assistant
Counselor/ junior
counselor, summer
environmental camp
Smith College
9/2001-present
L. David Smith
Summer 2002
Centers for Nature
Education, Marcellus summer 2000, summer
NY
2001, August 2002
Number of hours
worked per week
7.0
35
30
4. What are you professional aspirations? Indicate in which area(s) of environment, Native American health
care, or tribal public policy you are considering making your career and specify how your academic program
and your overall educational plans assist you in achieving this goal.
I want to work in environmental education. Educating young people about the environment is essential to
the continuation of awareness of the environment and of good stewardship. Having grown up in a family
where I spent most of my time out-of-doors, I realize that simply connecting to and appreciating our
natural surroundings can affect our environmental impact, because we become aware of and we take
greater responsibility for our actions. As a geology major at Smith College, with a minor in Biology, I will
have the solid background needed to be able to teach children about their environment. My participation in
the STRIDE research program at Smith allows me to work one-on-one with biology professor David Smith,
and has led not only to numerous opportunities to present work that I have done at Smith with him, but it
also allowed me to conduct research for a month in Oregon, sponsored by Smith College. During my junior
year, I wish to study geology for a semester in New Zealand and tropical ecology for a semester in Costa
Rica with the Organization of Tropical Studies. These programs will introduce me to new cultures, new
ways of viewing the environment and entirely new ecosystems. These studies will provide me with field
experience, as well as educational and foreign language experiences that would compliment my studies at
Smith. These academic programs will equip me with a strong knowledge base so that I can continue such
studies in graduate school, as well as earn a teaching certificate.
5. Describe an activity or experience that has been important in clarifying or strengthening your commitment to
the environment, Native American health care, or tribal public policy.
Both of my parents are geologists, so I grew up among the rocks and minerals of graduate student geology
labs. The intense interest and love for the earth that my parents demonstrated when I was young was
ingrained into my everyday life. I remember waking up early on Saturdays to go on hikes near one of the
beautiful (and geologically intriguing) Finger Lakes In New York State. My brother and I would always
complain as we tied our boots on and piled into the car; we wanted nothing more than to stay at home and
play in our backyard all day. However, on every outing, we discovered that there was a wealth of
interesting animals, plants and places to discover. My father always carried binoculars, and my mother
constantly had her wildflower book with her. I learned to recognize mammals and birds by their calls and
their tracks. In learning about the places where we were hiking, my appreciation for my natural
surroundings grew. Not only did my parents provide me with an understanding of the outside world, they
also taught me that what I do in my everyday life, such as leaving lights on when I'm not in a room, or
composting my apple core instead of sealing it in a plastic garbage bag and bringing it to a landfill, affects
the environment. My education continued in a more formal sense in high school and now at Smith. I have
been fortunate to have such a rich environmental background, and I am happy that in working at a
summer nature camp, I have been able to pass some of this environmental awareness on to other young
people. My parents, simply through teaching me about my natural surroundings and guiding me towards
being a better steward for the environment, have greatly influenced my interest and commitment to the
environment. I wish to do the same for other young people.
6. What additional personal information (not already addressed in the publication) do you wish to share with the
Udall scholarship review committee?
I spent a year abroad in Niort, France after graduating from high school in New York State. I lived with
French host families and attended a French high school. During my stay in France, I became immersed in
the culture and became fluent in the language, of which I had previously known nothing. I hope to spend a
semester abroad in Costa Rica studying tropical ecology and Spanish. In today's socio-cultural
environment, marked by open trade and immigration between countries, being proficient in multiple
languages is imperative. We can learn from other nations about their environmental programs while
cooperating globally to conserve and protect our natural resources. In the United States today, a large
percentage of the population does not speak English. I would love to be able to teach environmental studies
to non-English speaking children. Learning Spanish, and being fluent in both English and French, will help
me to realize my goal of educating young people about the environment.
7. If you are a former Udall Scholar reapplying this year, please attach a brief statement describing your activities
over this past year as a Udall Scholar and how an additional year of scholarship funding would benefit your
studies and career goals.
THE
Morris K. Udall FOUNDATION
SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT POLICY
Nominee’s Essay
In 600 words or less, discuss a significant public speech, legislative act, or public policy statement by
Congressman Udall and its impact your field of interest and career goals.
Your essay must be typed and confined to this form and no smaller than 11 point font. Be sure to include your
signature on the back of this page.
My favorite game to play at nature camp when I was ten years old was "Kick the Can," because I was free
to explore the woods and fields. Inevitably, I would find a tree to climb or an interesting insect to watch,
and become so distracted that I would forget entirely that I was playing a game. This kind of active
learning instilled in me a deep interest and appreciation for my natural surroundings, which today has
evolved into a love and a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
Congressman Morris K. Udall stresses the importance of such stewardship in his article "Man:
Endangered Species," published in 1972 in Illinois Education. Mr. Udall emphasizes that environmental
stewardship based upon empathy, appreciation and a working knowledge of the environment must be
passed from one generation to the next. Mr. Udall gained this understanding and commitment from his
father, who had learned it from his father. Just as my childhood experiences taught me to appreciate the
natural world, it is my dream to educate children and spread my love and understanding of the
environment.
In "Man: Endangered Species," Mr. Udall makes it clear that Americans, acting in the "Generation of
Decay," are endangering their own position on the planet, citing the smog-choked atmosphere of Tucson,
Arizona, his "favorite city," as a prime example. Mr. Udall also points out that our impact extends beyond
our national borders. He states that pesticides, used in the United States, are found in the tissues of wildlife
in remote areas, such as Antarctica and the Shetland Islands north of Ireland, where historically no
pesticides have been used.
Mr. Udall states that the American public lives in a "Great Contradiction," meaning that they want to
maintain the highest standard of living, while still conserving a pristine environment: "The time is surely
coming when the American public cannot have its cake and eat it too. There can't be more cars and less
pollution, more available jet flights and fewer airport noises, regular garbage collection but no garbage
dumps or incinerators, more children and less crowded beaches." This contradictory attitude reflects a
basic lack of understanding of the workings of the natural world. While Mr. Udall stresses the need for
"legislative and political battles" to foster change in this attitude, he also urges that teachers ensure that
"this vital message [about environmental stewardship] gets to the young."
To foster commitment to the environment, children must first acquire an awareness of their natural
surroundings. Once children are sensitized to their surroundings, their natural curiosity takes over.
Children then seek the knowledge that will later lead them to take action to protect their surroundings. My
parents kept me close to the natural world as a child and then provided abundant opportunities to gain the
knowledge for which I thirsted at nature camps and later applied during environmental competitions and
research work at Smith College. I wish to continue my environmental education at Smith College, at the
University of Otago in New Zealand, and with the Organization for Tropical Studies in Costa Rica, where I
will study tropical ecology as well as expand my foreign language experience to include Spanish.
Mr. Udall emphasizes the importance of a change in individual attitudes and actions. His writing inspires
me to teach K-12 children about their environment. Educating children would facilitate such a change in
attitudes because environmental awareness and knowledge naturally lead to sensible stewardship. Whereas
pesticides spread on a field in North America can negatively impact a remote island in the Northern
Atlantic Ocean, educators have the potential to impact the environment in a positive way for generations to
come.
Signature
Firstname Lastname
Date
xx/xx/200x
UDALL FOUNDATION FEEDBACK ON WHY
THIS APPLICATION WAS NOT SELECTED,
BUT ALSO INCLUDING ITS STRENGTHS.
- strongly urged to reapply
- more critical analysis needed in essay.
- environmental commitment is evident.
- after this years courses, applicant will stand a better chance.
- too much geology.
- more college involvement needed in environmental groups, leadership.
- essay too much a personal statement, sounded like a Boren application
- essay needs to be more analytical
- environmental commitment strong in high school, needs to remain strong in college.
- good letters
- good campus activities.