The Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advice (ONSA) recently announced that Arizona State University student Ethan Tacheene has been awarded the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship, a major federal scholarship for college sophomores and juniors who demonstrate leadership, public service and dedication to issues related to Native American nations or the environment. The scholarship provides up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses and access to the Udall Alumni Network.
“I am thrilled to have been chosen as a Udall Scholar. It’s something to be very proud of,” said Tacheene, a native of Many Farms, a small community in the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, where his home had neither running water nor electricity.
Tacheene, a junior business law major and student at Barrett, The Honors College at ASU, is the 42nd ASU student to be named a Udall Undergraduate Scholar since the program’s inception in 1997. He received an honorable mention for the scholarship last year .
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“After receiving an honorable mention, I thought that if I were given the scholarship, I could have a stronger voice and be a better representative of my people and show that it is possible to try again and succeed,” he said.
Tacheene is one of 55 Udall Scholars from across the country selected in 2024. Madison Eklund, a sophomore conservation biology and ecology major and Barrett Honors College student, was an honorable mention this year.
Taheene, who is interested in tribal laws and policies as well as the economies of small, rural communities like his hometown, said scholarships have been fundamental to him being able to get into and stay at ASU.
“I spent most of my time wondering how I was going to pay for school and how I was going to live a different life than the one in my hometown,” says Tacheene, who, in addition to the Udall Scholarship, has received the Obama and Chief Manuelito Scholarships. scholarships and was a semifinalist for the Flinn Scholarship.
He has served as Chief Operations Officer for the Native American Business Organization at ASU, and has been active with the Office of American Indian Initiatives and the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples.
Tacheene has advised Barrett Honors College on ways to encourage Native American students to enroll at ASU and has assisted high school students in his hometown with college admissions applications, scholarships and financial aid. His honors thesis is a comprehensive study of the Navajo Nation’s contemporary economic landscape and the formulation of strategic initiatives aimed at promoting economic growth and progress.
Taheene said he wants to learn as much as he can about business and law, to “bring it back to where I came from and try to see if I can find ways to open doors for people – students and future generations – so they can go to school , learning as I learned and understanding that it is possible to grow and become greater.”
His ultimate goal is to attend law school, practice business law and eventually start his own law firm where he will employ Native Americans.
This year’s 55 Udall Scholars, from 50 colleges and universities, will connect August 6-10 at the annual Udall Scholar Orientation, where they will meet and program alumni, learn more about the Udall -legacy of public service and communicating with community leaders in environmental, tribal health and governance.
The Udall Scholarship is a program of the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, known as the Udall Foundation. The foundation was established by the United States Congress to honor the lasting impact of Arizona Rep. Morris K. Udall on the nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources and its support of the rights and self-government of American Indians and Alaska Natives. In 2009, the name of the foundation was changed Stewart Udallwho served as US Secretary of the Interior from 1961 to 1969.
The award is open to full-time sophomores and juniors at any accredited academic institution in the US
Students can apply in one of three areas: tribal policy, indigenous health, or environment. Those applying in the policy or health care categories must be Native Americans or Alaska Natives.
Applicants for the Udall Scholarship must be nominated by their institution, and each college or university is limited in the number of students it may nominate.
At ASU, the application process is managed through ONSA, which organizes a faculty committee to review and approve applications for nomination. ONSA partners with many ASU units, including the School of Sustainability and American Indian Student Support Services, to identify and prepare applicants for the Udall Scholarship.
ASU students interested in applying for the Udall Scholarship in a future cycle can visit onsa.asu.edu to schedule an consultation.
About the Author: “Levi \”Calm Before the Storm\” Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation) is the founder, publisher and editor of Native News Online. Rickert was awarded the Best Column 2021 Native Media Award for the print category\/ online by the Native American Journalists Association. He is a member of the advisory board of the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association. He can be reached at levi@nativenewsonline.net.
Contact: levi@nativenewsonline.net
