Udall Foundation announces first CAP Udall Scholar
Posted: 4/16/2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2013
CENTRAL ARIZONA PROJECT AND UDALL FOUNDATION
ANNOUNCE FIRST CAP UDALL SCHOLARSHIP WINNER
The Udall Foundation and the Central Arizona Project (CAP) are pleased to announce that Carol Seanez, a junior at the University of Arizona, has been selected as the first ever CAP Udall Scholarship Award winner. Ms. Seanez, a member of the Navajo Nation, studies physiology and public health at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The Udall Foundation and the Central Arizona Project have formed a partnership to ensure that Native American college students in Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties have the opportunity to receive scholarships in support of natural resource management and tribal public policy education in the Native American communities that have entitlements to CAP water. CAP will fund a $5,000 Scholarship each year that an eligible student is selected for a Udall Scholarship. According to Philip Lemanski, acting executive director at the Udall Foundation, the CAP Udall Scholarship will assist both organizations in realizing their mutual objective of strengthening Native Nations in order to achieve their self-determination, governance, and human capital goals.
Ms. Seanez was recognized by the Udall Scholarship review committee for her commitment to public service to Native communities, and her exemplary leadership in the area of Native American health care. She is a leader in several Native American student groups at the University of Arizona and was crowned Miss Native American University of Arizona in 2012. She is passionate about building positive community relationships and partnered with Student Outreach and Access Resiliency (SOAR) to mentor two Native American girls at Roskruge Bilingual Middle School, encouraging them to attend college and earn graduate degrees in business and law. Ms. Seanez intends to pursue a graduate degree in public health and work on health issues affecting Indian country in rural Arizona.
"This willingness to give back to the next generation of leaders, as Ms. Seanez is doing, is precisely the rationale behind CAP's support for this important scholarship initiative," said CAP General Manager David Modeer. "I am pleased that our first recipient is so actively engaged in education and outreach efforts."
A 14-member independent review committee selected this year's group of Udall Scholars on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Native American health care, or tribal public policy; leadership potential; academic achievement; and record of public service. The review committee also awarded 50 Honorable Mentions. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for the Scholar’s junior or senior year. Since the first awards in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 1,364 scholarships totaling $6,820,000.
All 2013 Udall Scholars will assemble August 7-11, 2013, in Tucson, Ariz., to receive their awards and meet policymakers and community leaders in environmental fields, tribal health care, and governance. Ms. Seanez will be recognized by the Central Arizona Project for her contributions at the awards banquet on August 10, 2013.
For a listing of the 2013 Udall Scholars and Honorable Mentions and more information on the Foundation and related programs, visit www.udall.gov or contact Paula Randler at (520) 901-8564 or randler@udall.gov.
About the Udall Foundation
The Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency that was established by Congress in 1992 to provide federally funded scholarships for college students intending to pursue careers related to the environment, as well as to American Indian students pursuing tribal public policy or health care careers. In 1998, the Foundation grew to include the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, created by Congress as the federal government’s only program focused entirely on resolving federal environmental disputes. The Foundation also operates the Parks in Focus program, connecting underserved youth to nature through photography.
For additional information, please contact Jane Curlin at 520-901-8565 or curlin@udall.gov.
About the Central Arizona Project
CAP is the steward of central and southern Arizona's Colorado River water entitlement and a collaborative leader in Arizona's water community. The 336-mile long CAP canal system brings about 1.6 million acre-feet of renewable Colorado River water to its customers—cities, businesses, agriculture and Indian communities—in Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties. An acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons. For additional information, please contact Kathryn Royer at 623-869-2390 or kroyer@cap-az.com.
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