Junior geology major Hava Blair has earned the prestigious Udall scholarship! The award is a highly competitive tuition scholarship.
Blair has always been interested in agriculture as a prominent participant in the Sustainable Lawrence University Garden. Also, she has participated in the establishment of off-campus organizations, such as the COTS, Inc. transitional shelter’s sustainable garden and the Riverview community garden project.
She explained that the scholarship will allow her to continue her involvement in Lawrence and community projects.
Said Blair, “I won it based on my work with my projects but it doesn’t go to support a specific project. It supports my education here at Lawrence and allows me to keep doing what I’m doing.”
The scholarship also allows for Blair to travel to Tucson, Arizona in August for a conference with 79 other Udall award winners. There, they will get the chance to share their own experiences and projects as well as engage in a broader discussion of environmental issues.
Commented Blair: “They bring us all together; we mix ideas and have a dialogue. That’s really nice recognition as well. I have a very specific project here but it can be recognized on a national level. What we’re doing in Appleton is significant; we can play into the wider U.S.-scale conversation.”
When asked about what issues of environmentalism persisted on campus, Blair cited interactions not between people and nature, but ones between people and people.
Stated Blair, “I hope that people [are not] afraid to get involved in SLUG, I hope everyone feels like they can come down and take a look in the garden and take a walk around and enjoy the space. Sometimes there’s a real barrier there.”
Blair admitted that the application process was time intensive, but she was pleased that she persevered through with help from faculty and advisors. Her award points to national recognition of her exemplary coursework and extracurricular involvement.
Hava Blair wins Udall Scholarship. (Mathias Reed)