Ball State University junior Steve Doll has been awarded a Udall Undergraduate Scholarship—one of America’s most prestigious scholarships awarded to college juniors and sophomores for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to the environment or Native American nations. 

Ball State junior Krista Walterbusch, meanwhile, was selected as a Udall Scholarship honorable mention honoree. 

In addition to receiving a $7,000 scholarship, Mr. Doll will have the opportunity to meet other Udall Scholars this Summer and learn about the work of national environmental and tribal leaders and organizations. 

Mr. Doll, a student in Ball State’s Honors College, is majoring in Wildlife Biology and Conservation in the University’s College of Sciences and Humanities, and minoring in Natural Resources. A Sunman, Ind., native, he plans to pursue a career in land management and restoration ecology, with a focus on community engagement and equity for Native American groups. 

“This scholarship gives me the opportunity to take my first big step in learning more about working with tribal groups,” Mr. Doll said. “I’m also looking forward to meeting other students from across the country, as I am passionate about environmental issues.” 

Ms. Walterbusch is majoring in Landscape Architecture and minoring in Studio Art. A Coldwater, Ohio, native, she is in the fourth year of the five-year Landscape Architecture program at Ball State’s R. Wayne Estopinal College of Architecture and Planning. Her career goals include bringing more green spaces to urban areas and remediating problems like flooding, urban heat island effect, deforestation, and air, water and soil pollution. 

“I want to improve the environment and communities, to make the world we live in more sustainable, beautiful, and healthy,” Ms. Walterbusch said. “As part of a collaborative team, I’m passionate about creating sustainable green spaces in urban settings.”

Since 2005, 14 Ball State students have received Udall Scholarships, and eight have received honorable mention, from the Udall Foundation—an independent federal agency. The foundation, and Udall Scholarships, honor the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, brothers who both served in the U.S. Congress. Morris Udall is best known for the impact he made on the environment, public lands, natural resources and tribal self-governance. In addition to serving in Congress, Stewart Udall served as U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1961-69) and worked as an environmental lawyer.