Written by Inayah Bashir ’20

Gabriel Snashall ’20                   Shaya Tousi ’21

The Udall Foundation, established by the U.S. Congress in 1992, is an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall’s impact on America’s environment, public lands, natural resources, and his support of the rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Each year, 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 2020, two Wesleyan students applied for the scholarship: Gabriel Snashall ‘21 and Shaya Tousi ’22. Although they weren’t awarded scholarships, they learned a lot from the application process, and they encourage rising sophomores and juniors committed to finding solutions to environmental issues or tribal issues to consider applying next year. 

Shaya majors in English, Environmental Studies, and French Studies. On campus, she is a member of the Green Fund Committee, an editor for Artifex Magazine, and a member of the Aikido Club. She also works at Wesleyan’s College of the Environment. Shaya is interested in the intersections between environmentalism, refugee rights, and literature. She applied for the Udall scholarship because she respects the Udall Foundation’s emphasis on inspiring activism. Shaya is committed to addressing environmental challenges through public service, and she ultimately plans to attend law school. 

Shaya would advise future applicants to start the application process as early as possible to give themselves adequate time to revise the essay responses, and to keep in close touch with the Fellowship Office for help as they do so!

Gabriel majors in Political Science and CoE, with a minor in Data Analysis. A Posse scholar, over the past few years he has lobbied on Capitol Hill and at the White House for changes to veteran education policies and environmental protections. He is passionate about making the environmental trade-off problems of the 21st century more transparent. Having grown up in California’s central valley, a global hub for everything agricultural, and having lived in LA for a time, he is also interested in sustainable land use, sustainable development, and environmental economics. Gabriel applied for the Udall because of its connection to his professional goals. 

Gabriel’s advice to future applicants is to (1) narrow down your commitment to pursuing a career in the environment, (2) begin thinking about your public service history and if you naturally fit a public service role, and (3) give yourself time to write your essays, seeing as how much of the application requires a good deal of self-reflection and concisely structures essays about said self-reflection.