Elon University junior Molly Schriber has been named a recipient of a 2010 Udall Scholarship, an award dedicated in part for students pursuing careers related to the environment. It is the second time since 2008 that an Elon student has received the prestigious national award.
Winners of the Udall Scholarship were announced April 8 on the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation web site. The Foundation awarded 80 scholarships of up to $5000 to students who meet select criteria.
Schriber, a native of Houston double majoring in environmental studies and international studies, hopes to one day establish an environmental school in the sub-Arctic to teach wildlife rehabilitation, outdoor recreation, environmental education, First Nation studies and environmental philosophy.
She will also spend a week in August in Tucson, Ariz., with other scholars to meet policy makers in environmental fields.
“I want to teach the next generation how to live in harmony with the earth by practicing sustainable living,” Schriber wrote in her scholarship application. “If we take the knowledge of our ancestors and combine it with emerging technology, we can limit our impact on the earth. Our current wasteful and pollutive habits must be drastically changed in order to preserve our planet, our only home.”
Schriber, who spent time at the International School for Earth Studies before coming to Elon and has since interned for the organization, is a member of the Periclean Scholars class of 2011 and has lead the Students for Peace and Justice campus group. She is currently in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the spring semester.
A graduate of Mirabeau Lamar High School in Houston, Schriber intends to pursue a doctorate in environmental studies and a master’s degree in First Nation studies. First Nations refers to Aboriginal people in Canada.
The Udall award honors former U.S. Rep. Morris King “Mo” Udall, who represented his Arizona district for three decades in Congress, and his brother, Stewart L. Udall, who served as Secretary of the Interior from 1961-1969.
Mo Udall dedicated his career to the expansion of national parks and to protecting the rights of Native Americans and Alaskan Natives before resigning in 1991 because of health problems. He died in 1998. Stewart Udall oversaw the acquisition of nearly 4 million acres of public land during his tenure and helped preserve many historic sites. He died in March.
Breanna Detwiler ’09 made university history two years ago when she was named the first Elon recipient of the Udall award.