The scholarships demonstrate the inclusive opportunities available for every UConn student to develop intercultural competencies
Navigating the challenges of the pandemic over the last academic year did not discourage University of Connecticut students from imagining international study possibilities. Despite border closings and travel restrictions, students sought opportunities to engage with the world by applying for the Gilman and Critical Language Scholarships (CLS). A record number of UConn students were selected this spring as recipients for both scholarships.
“We had a total of fourteen applicants for the 2021 Critical Language Scholarship and four were selected as recipients,” says LuAnn Saunders-Kanabay, Assistant Director in the Office of National Scholarships and CLS Program Advisor.
They will participate in intensive language study in a virtual format this summer, but it has not dampened their enthusiasm for developing proficiency in their chosen languages.
UConn Student Honored By Phi Beta Kappa With Public Service Award
‘Public service is about giving back,’ says Michael Hernández ’22 (CLAS)
Michael Hernández ’22 (CLAS), a rising senior at UConn, has been named one of 20 students nationally to be selected as aKey into Public Service Scholarby Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society.
Storrs, Connecticut – UConn junior Sage Phillips (CLAS ’22), a political science and human rights double major from Old Town, Maine, has received a 2021 Udall Scholarship. 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. 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.
Sophomore Caroline Webb Awarded Hollings Scholarship from NOAA
Award provides $19,000 toward tuition, plus paid internship
Caroline Webb, from Greenwich, CT, has been awarded a prestigious Hollings Scholarship by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Hollings Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship awarded to undergraduates studying the marine sciences.
Caroline is a sophomore Honors student pursuing a major in environmental science (human health concentration) and a minor in environmental economics and policy. Growing up along the Connecticut coast, she has long had an interest in and appreciation for the marine environment, which led her to apply for the NOAA Hollings Scholar Program. Additionally, she is interested in conservation ecology, immunology, and the intersection of environmental and human health. At UConn she is involved in research as a member of the Knutie Lab, where she works on the Nest Parasite Community Science Study. Her work involves collecting data to study how local ecology impacts different aspects of the avian nest parasite community. Additionally, due to the nature of the study, which relies on community scientists all across the eastern US to send nests from backyard boxes, she participates in community outreach efforts. Outside of her research and scholarly interests, Caroline is a member of UConn Women’s Cross Country and Track and Field teams.
The Hollings Scholarship program is designed to increase interest in oceanic and atmospheric science, increase support for environmental stewardship, and recruit students to public service careers at NOAA and other governmental science agencies. UConn students interested in applying for the Hollings are encouraged to contact Dr. Rowena Grainger in UConn’s Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships.
From left, Truman Scholar winners Sena Wazer ’22 and Sage Phillips ’22 on April 12, 2021. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)
A pair of University of Connecticut students have been namedTruman Scholarsfor 2021, marking the first time in school history that UConn has had multiple winners of the prestigious recognition.
Sage Phillips ’22 (CLAS), a junior political science and human rights major, and Sena Wazer ’22 (CLAS), a junior environmental studies major, represent UConn in a highly select group of 62 new Truman Scholars from around the country. They were picked from 845 candidates nominated by 328 different schools.
2021 Goldwater Scholarship recipients Katherine Lee (l) and Seema Patel
Two University of Connecticut students have been recently named Goldwater Scholars. TheGoldwater Scholarshipis considered the nation’s premier scholarship for undergraduates studying math, natural sciences, and engineering. Schools can nominate a maximum of four students per year.
The students are Katherine Lee ‘22 (CLAS) of Monroe, and Seema Patel ’22 (CLAS) of North Haven.
L-R, Brandon D’Agostino, Joshua Dupont, Berk Alpay, Caroline Donaghy
One UConn undergraduate, three graduate students, and 10 alumni have earned National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (NSF-GRFP).
The oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the NSF-GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding students in NSF-supported disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited institutions in the United States. In addition to a three-year annual stipend of $34,000, plus another $12,000 paid to the student’s home institution, fellows have access to a wide range of professional development opportunities over the course of their graduate careers.
The University of Connecticut has been recognized among the top producers of Fulbright U.S. Scholars from research institutions for the third time in the past five years.
The University has seven Fulbright Scholars on its faculty who were given the opportunity to teach and perform research around the world in the 2020-21 academic year, according to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
UConn’s 2021 nominees for the Udall Scholarship (l to r): Sage Phillips and Sena Wazer.
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 2021, the Udall Foundation anticipates awarding 55 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 in for the Udall Scholarship in each category. Internal applications for nomination are generally due in early January. The following students were UConn’s 2021 nominees for the Udall Scholarship.
Sage Phillips (CLAS ’22), from Old Town, ME, is a junior double-majoring in political science and human rights with a minor in native American & indigenous studies at the University of Connecticut. As a young panawáhpskewi (Penobscot) woman of the Wabanaki people, Sage hopes to pursue a joint program receiving a J.D. and M.A. in American Indian Law. Sage is the Founding President of the Native American & Indigenous Students Association and the Student Coordinator for Native American Cultural Programs (NACP) at UConn. She hopes that through her efforts to expand NACP to become a Cultural Center, she paves the way for UConn as a land-grant institution to work towards reparations for CT Native youth. Rewarded for her work surrounding leadership, Sage was selected as a member of the Leadership Legacy Experience, recognizing the University’s most exceptional student leaders. Currently, she is a Co-Lead on a grant titled “Bridging the Gap: Assessing the Needs of Native Students in America’s Higher Education” and a Coordinator for UConn’s Indigenous Nations Cultural and Educational Exchange youth mentorship program. Both grants focus largely on land reassessment and opportunities for Native youth at UConn in hopes to get the University to be at good relation with the land it stands upon.
Sena Wazer (CLAS ’22), from Storrs, CT, is a junior majoring in environmental studies. She currently co-directs Sunrise CT, a hub of the national Sunrise Movement, which is a youth led movement fighting to “stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process.” As co-director, Sena helped organize the September 20th and December 6th, 2019 youth climate strikes at the CT State Capitol in Hartford. In early 2020, she was also the lead organizer for the Sunrise CT youth lobby day at the CT state legislature, which brought over 150 students to the Capitol. Over the summer of 2020, Sena chaired a subcommittee on the Governor’s Council on Climate Change, and phonebanked for candidates who ran for state legislature. Recently, she helped organize and facilitate the first Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Youth Climate Summit. Sena was also chosen to be a part of the 2021 Leadership Legacy Cohort at UConn. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a joint Law degree and Master’s degree in environmental management, and run for office. She is passionate about climate justice and social justice, and wants to bring that passion into politics.
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.”
