The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment. There are three scholar tracks with this award: Environmental Scholar, Tribal Policy Scholar, and Native Health Care Scholar. Only Native Americans and Alaska Natives may apply to the latter two.
If awarded a Udall Scholarship, a student will receive an undergraduate scholarship of up to $7,000, the opportunity to travel to Arizona for the annual Udall Scholars Orientation, and access to the Udall Scholars alumni listserv, which includes many current environmental professionals. It is a prestigious award; it opens doors to incredible academic opportunities, other fellowships, scholarships, graduate school acceptance and job opportunities.
The national Udall committee refers to four principle categories to evaluate each applicant:
- The student's commitment to the environment, or to tribal public policy, or health care, depending upon which of the three tracks to which they're applying
- The student's personal characteristics - the criteria include demonstrated leadership, community service, well roundedness, and references
- The student's academic achievements
- The student's application essay discussing a speech or paper by Stuart or Morris Udall
You can find a sample of their on the Udall site, and you can view their page as well.
Make the Case for Excellence: The student will have ample space in their application to discuss their leadership experience, their commitment to improving or preserving the environment, and their academic achievements. Your letter can add depth to these experiences, so focus on how you've seen the student stand out among their peers, be it as a scholar, leader, or as someone committed to the environment. Also feel free to offer a personal perspective on the student's activities and character.
Confirm and Validate the Student's Leadership Experiences and Career Goals: Be sure to comment on the student's sincere commitment as well as ability to continue going forward in a career related to the environment or conservation. Be sure to address the student's potential to make a significant and compelling impact as a leader in their field.
Speak to Your Audience: There are three things you need to know about the people who will be reading Udall applications at the national level: 1) The backgrounds of committee members vary widely: A former Udall reader noted that committee members ranged " . . . from professors of environmental policy and science, EPA officials, directors of scholarships and Honors programs, to representatives of Native American interests." 2) Readers have an overwhelming number of Udall applications they need to read; on average readers have about 10-15 minutes to spend on each application. 3) Readers will be quickly seeking to understand the significance of a student's leadership experience as well as their career goals.
For Udall recommendation letters, it's important to 1) get to the point, and 2) be brief. Letters that are around one page single spaced are appropriate for this competition.
- Letters can be addressed to: Udall Scholarship Selection Committee.
- All letters need to be on letterhead, signed, and emailed to clbrfellowships@reed.edu or mailed to CLBR Fellowships in CLBR to then be submitted electronically as part of the on-line application.