Meet UConn’s 2019 Udall Scholarship Nominees

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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.  In 2019, the Udall Foundation anticipates awarding 50 scholarships of up to $7,000 each.  The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.  UConn may nominate up to four candidates for the Udall Scholarship.  Internal applications for nomination are generally due in early January.  The following three students were UConn’s 2019 nominees for the Udall Scholarship.

 

UConn’s 2019 Udall Scholarship nominees (left to right): Himaja Nagireddy (CLAS ’20), Sophie MacDonald (ENG ’20), and Wawa Gatheru (CAHNR ’20)

 

Wanjiku (Wawa) Gatheru (CAHNR ’20), from Pomfret, CT, is a junior majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Global Studies. Prior to arriving at college, Wawa spent a year in Thailand as a KL-YES Scholar of the U.S. State Department, an experience that solidified her commitment to culturally competent conservation. Through internships with the City of Hartford’s Office of Sustainability, CHISPA CT, and the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Wawa has worked to uplift the voices of those most adversely impacted by environmental inequities. Passionate about the way food can solve the most pressing ecological problems, she been involved in childhood obesity prevention research as a Bridging the Gap Fellow in Dr. Amy Mobley’s Community Nutrition lab and has led nutritional education lessons to pre-school students in the Greater Hartford area as a coordinator of the Husky Nutrition Program. A UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholar and Newman Civic Fellow, Wawa is motivated to connect grassroots movements to institutions of power, as a lead organizer in CT’s first Youth Climate Lobby Day, UN Global Health Fellow, delegate at the 2017 UN Climate Change Discussions, co-founder of the President’s Council on Race and Diversity, and crucial leader in the successful implementation of an environmental literacy general education requirement. On campus, she promotes the collective wellbeing of students as the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), co-chairs the University-wide Metanoia: Youth for Change, mentors students as a teacher’s assistant in the African American Cultural Center, serves as Peer Research Ambassador at the Office of Undergraduate Research, hosts pop up food pantries as co-founder of UCAFE, and promotes campus sustainability as an intern at the Office of Environmental Policy. Wawa ultimately plans to pursue a joint JD/MEM, with the goal of empowering disenfranchised communities of color in the environmental decision-making process. Wawa was also nominated for the Truman Scholarship.

 

Sophie MacDonald (ENGR ’20) is a sophomore Honors student and Nutmeg Scholar from Bantam, CT, majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in philosophy and math. She plans to pursue an M.S. in Sustainable Engineering, and she aspires to be a practicing engineer in the renewable energy sector. Freshman year, she conducted research under Dr. Leslie Shor in her engineered microhabitats laboratory, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This year, she is conducting research more directly associated with her career goals under Dr. Alexander Agrios, whose research focuses on the latest technology in solar power. At the end of her freshman year, Sophie was hired as an intern at the UConn Office of Environmental Policy, where she continues to work on various initiatives to promote sustainability on campus. She is also the co-lead for the Uganda Project, as well as the webmaster and HPC liaison for the University’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. In this role, Sophie works to help the environment as well as the community of people who depend on its protection. When the dust settles every so often, Sophie loves to do anything and everything outdoors, from hiking to ice climbing to birding.

 

Himaja Nagireddy (CLAS ’20), from Acton, MA, is an junior undergraduate pre-med student at the University of Connecticut pursuing a BA in Sociology (Honors) and a BS in Physiology and Neurobiology with a double minor in Molecular and Cell Biology and Chemistry as a STEM Scholar. Her goal is to one day become an aerospace flight surgeon. She is a Student Life Award recipient of the 2018 Spirer/Dueker Student Humanitarian Achievement Award, a 2019 Leadership Legacy Fellow, and a member of the inaugural (2019-20) class of BOLD Women’s Leadership Network Scholars at UConn. She also serves on the executive boards of TEDxUConn and Peer Allies Through Honors (PATH), a mentoring group the pairs incoming Honors students upperclass Honors students at UConn.  Himaja is an elected representative of the National Council for the United Nations Association of the USA, a civil organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, where she works with over 200 chapters to coordinate efforts to support the UN. Last year, she was a UNA-USA representative for the 62nd Commission of the Status of Women (CSW62), and this year she is in charge of planning over 4 parallel events for the CSW63. Himaja is currently a UConn-Eversource Research Fellow where she is conducting research to evaluate the benefits of NGSS-aligned energy conservation education for middle school students living in areas of high eviction rates in CT. She actively volunteers for three non-profit organizations during the semester (Barefoot College, Unite for Sight, and Paper Airplanes) and enjoys volunteering as the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston during her school breaks. In her free time, Himaja likes to hike, bike, and re-read her favorite books (Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter!).  Himaja was also nominated for the Truman Scholarship.

 

To learn more about these and other nationally-competitive scholarship and fellowship opportunities, visit the Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships and click “Talk to an Advisor.”

 

This entry was posted in News.

Meet UConn’s 2019 Udall Scholarship Nominees

Posted on by

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.  In 2019, the Udall Foundation anticipates awarding 50 scholarships of up to $7,000 each.  The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.  UConn may nominate up to four candidates for the Udall Scholarship.  Internal applications for nomination are generally due in early January.  The following three students were UConn’s 2019 nominees for the Udall Scholarship.

 

UConn’s 2019 Udall Scholarship nominees (left to right): Himaja Nagireddy (CLAS ’20), Sophie MacDonald (ENG ’20), and Wawa Gatheru (CAHNR ’20)

 

Wanjiku (Wawa) Gatheru (CAHNR ’20), from Pomfret, CT, is a junior majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Global Studies. Prior to arriving at college, Wawa spent a year in Thailand as a KL-YES Scholar of the U.S. State Department, an experience that solidified her commitment to culturally competent conservation. Through internships with the City of Hartford’s Office of Sustainability, CHISPA CT, and the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network, Wawa has worked to uplift the voices of those most adversely impacted by environmental inequities. Passionate about the way food can solve the most pressing ecological problems, she been involved in childhood obesity prevention research as a Bridging the Gap Fellow in Dr. Amy Mobley’s Community Nutrition lab and has led nutritional education lessons to pre-school students in the Greater Hartford area as a coordinator of the Husky Nutrition Program. A UCSC Doris Duke Conservation Scholar and Newman Civic Fellow, Wawa is motivated to connect grassroots movements to institutions of power, as a lead organizer in CT’s first Youth Climate Lobby Day, UN Global Health Fellow, delegate at the 2017 UN Climate Change Discussions, co-founder of the President’s Council on Race and Diversity, and crucial leader in the successful implementation of an environmental literacy general education requirement. On campus, she promotes the collective wellbeing of students as the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), co-chairs the University-wide Metanoia: Youth for Change, mentors students as a teacher’s assistant in the African American Cultural Center, serves as Peer Research Ambassador at the Office of Undergraduate Research, hosts pop up food pantries as co-founder of UCAFE, and promotes campus sustainability as an intern at the Office of Environmental Policy. Wawa ultimately plans to pursue a joint JD/MEM, with the goal of empowering disenfranchised communities of color in the environmental decision-making process. Wawa was also nominated for the Truman Scholarship.

 

Sophie MacDonald (ENGR ’20) is a sophomore Honors student and Nutmeg Scholar from Bantam, CT, majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in philosophy and math. She plans to pursue an M.S. in Sustainable Engineering, and she aspires to be a practicing engineer in the renewable energy sector. Freshman year, she conducted research under Dr. Leslie Shor in her engineered microhabitats laboratory, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. This year, she is conducting research more directly associated with her career goals under Dr. Alexander Agrios, whose research focuses on the latest technology in solar power. At the end of her freshman year, Sophie was hired as an intern at the UConn Office of Environmental Policy, where she continues to work on various initiatives to promote sustainability on campus. She is also the co-lead for the Uganda Project, as well as the webmaster and HPC liaison for the University’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. In this role, Sophie works to help the environment as well as the community of people who depend on its protection. When the dust settles every so often, Sophie loves to do anything and everything outdoors, from hiking to ice climbing to birding.

 

Himaja Nagireddy (CLAS ’20), from Acton, MA, is an junior undergraduate pre-med student at the University of Connecticut pursuing a BA in Sociology (Honors) and a BS in Physiology and Neurobiology with a double minor in Molecular and Cell Biology and Chemistry as a STEM Scholar. Her goal is to one day become an aerospace flight surgeon. She is a Student Life Award recipient of the 2018 Spirer/Dueker Student Humanitarian Achievement Award, a 2019 Leadership Legacy Fellow, and a member of the inaugural (2019-20) class of BOLD Women’s Leadership Network Scholars at UConn. She also serves on the executive boards of TEDxUConn and Peer Allies Through Honors (PATH), a mentoring group the pairs incoming Honors students upperclass Honors students at UConn.  Himaja is an elected representative of the National Council for the United Nations Association of the USA, a civil organization founded by Eleanor Roosevelt, where she works with over 200 chapters to coordinate efforts to support the UN. Last year, she was a UNA-USA representative for the 62nd Commission of the Status of Women (CSW62), and this year she is in charge of planning over 4 parallel events for the CSW63. Himaja is currently a UConn-Eversource Research Fellow where she is conducting research to evaluate the benefits of NGSS-aligned energy conservation education for middle school students living in areas of high eviction rates in CT. She actively volunteers for three non-profit organizations during the semester (Barefoot College, Unite for Sight, and Paper Airplanes) and enjoys volunteering as the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston during her school breaks. In her free time, Himaja likes to hike, bike, and re-read her favorite books (Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter!).  Himaja was also nominated for the Truman Scholarship.

 

To learn more about these and other nationally-competitive scholarship and fellowship opportunities, visit the Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships and click “Talk to an Advisor.”

 

This entry was posted in News.