Michigan State University has nominated a current Udall Scholar and an honorable mention from last year for the nationally competitive Udall Scholarship.
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 foundation awards up to $7,000 for educational expenses to 60 outstanding students in the United States.
MSU’s nominees include: Ashley Archer, an Honors College junior majoring in fisheries and wildlife in Lyman Briggs College; and Hannah MacDonald, an Honors College junior majoring in earth science in the College of Natural Science. Archer is a current Udall Scholar applying for a second year of funding, while MacDonald received an honorable mention for the scholarship last year.
MSU has produced 12 Udall Scholars.
The National and International Fellowships and Scholarships (NIFS) Office, administered by the Honors College, helps interested undergraduate and graduate students to pursue major national and international opportunities by providing information and direct support throughout the competitive application processes.
Archer is from Howell, Michigan and is a graduate of Brighton High School.
She works in the MSU Applied Forest and Wildlife Ecology lab and is a member of the Native American and Indigenous Student Organization and the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club at MSU.
She previously held an internship with the U.S Forest Service in partnership with the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council.
MacDonald is from Alpena, Michigan and is a graduate of Alpena High School.
She is a campaign lead for Sustainable Oceans Alliance, where she promotes and manages campaigns for the protection of Cashes Ledge, an underwater mountain range off the coast of Cape Ann in Massachusetts. Additionally, she is a youth leadership council member for EarthEcho International, where she speaks to youth about environmental stewardship.
MacDonald is also the service and recruitment chair for the Spartan Sierra Club.