Williams College Juniors Named 2010 Udall Scholars
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation has selected Williams College juniors J.J. Augenbraun and Jennifer Rowe as 2010 Udall Scholars. Udall Scholars are college sophomores and juniors who have committed to careers in the environment, health care or tribal public policy.Each Scholar receives up to $5,000 for their junior or senior year. This year's 80 scholars were selected from a record pool of 537 United States students.
Augenbraun, who comes from Wilton, Conn., is a psychology major with an environmental studies concentration. He chose to attend Williams College in part because of its location. "I loved the setting in the Berkshires, the campus, and all the outdoor activities available," he said.
He has worked for the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives since his freshman year. "My work for the Zilkha Center definitely helped me become more interested in the environment, and I chose to become an environmental studies concentrator as a result," he said.
In addition to interning at the Zilkha Center, he is a student coordinator for the Where Am I? first-year orientation program, and in the Math and Science Resource Center. He serves on the Lehman Council for Community Engagement and volunteers with WRAPS, a student initiative that delivers surplus dining hall food to various locations in North Adams. He is co-captain of the cycling team.
This year, Augenbraun is studying abroad in Australia in a School for International Training program that focuses on sustainability and environmental action. During the summer summer, he will study the development of alternative energy in Australia and New Zealand as a Robert G. Wilmers, Jr., Memorial Summer Travel Abroad Fellow. He has also held a Thoreau Fellowship, an environmental leadership development program administered by the Zilkha Center and the Center for Environmental Studies (CES).
Rowe is a native of Bangor, Maine. A contract major in environmental studies, she discovered her passion for this field during high school. "But, it was when I started visiting colleges that I realized my consistent interest and involvement in environmental issues," she said.
During the Williams leg of her college visits, she was also "impressed by the beauty of the purple valley, the kindness of the students I met, and the deep interest professors took in their students."
At Williams, Rowe has served as treasurer for the Thursday Night Group, an environmental activism organization. She co-founded Winter Blitz, which mobilizes students to help prepare local homes for inclement weather, and has helped organize it for the past two years. In addition, she volunteers with WRAPS and Catalyst, and cooks for the weekly CES Log Lunches. She plays junior varsity soccer.
Next year, Rowe intends to write an honors thesis on the implementation of community-based renewable energy projects in rural areas of India. She will be working under the supervision of Sarah Gardner, lecturer in environmental studies and CES associate director, as well as Kim Gutschow, visiting assistant professor of religion and project coordinator of Gaden Relief's Zangskar Project.
Previous Udall Scholars from Williams College include Julia Sendor, Class of 2008, and Kristina Fisher, Class of 2002.
The Udall Foundation was established by Congress in 1992. It focuses on the advancement of critical environmental issues as well as public policy and health care for Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
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