May 9, 2022

Congratulations to Grace Zaborski and Sky Harper, recipients of the 2022 Udall Scholarship!

The Udall Scholarship awards approximately 55 scholarships of up to $7,000 to sophomore and junior level college students committed to careers related to the environment, tribal public policy, or Native American health care. Scholars are selected on the basis of their leadership, public service, and commitment to these issues. We are thrilled that these students have been recognized for their hard work and potential!

Sky is Drexel’s first nominee and recipient in the nomination category of Native American health care, while Grace is our 10th scholar in the environment category.

Grace Zaborski
BA Environmental Studies and Sustainability '23, Honors
Category: Environment

Grace is a fourth-year student pursuing a bachelor's degree in environmental studies and sustainability and minors in politics and sociology, focusing on urban environmental policy. She has completed co-ops with the City of Boston’s Zero Waste Team and Drexel University's Climate and Sustainability Working Group and is currently working within SEPTA's Office of Innovation. When on campus, she peer-mentors within the First Year Exploratory Studies program, gives campus tours as a Student Ambassador, is President of the Drexel Sierra Club, and is a founder and active member of Drexel's new EcoReps Program.
Grace has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the Honors Program.

Sky Harper
BS Chemistry '24, Honors
Category: Native Health Care

Sky is a second-year student at Drexel University, currently pursuing a BS in Chemistry. After graduation, he plans to find an MD/Ph.D. program and potentially delve into biochemistry or pharmaceuticals. Currently, he is the President of Drexel Indigenous Students of the Americas and also tries to be involved around campus. He is currently working with the USDA-ARS as a researcher and has had the opportunity to conduct research with Dr. Hai-Feng Ji on polymers and Dr. John Medaglia in the Cognitive Neuroengineering and Wellbeing Laboratory. Sky is a first-generation Navajo student from Chinle, Arizona and his goal is to show his five younger brothers that it is possible to succeed in whatever field you want to pursue. He would like to say thank you to his mom and dad for their support throughout his life and for always being invested in his and his brothers' education.
Sky has been involved in the Pennoni Honors College through the Honors Program, STAR Scholars, Aspire Scholars, and Supernova Undergraduate Research Fellows.

Special thanks to the members of Drexel’s 2022 Udall Campus Committee, who worked with Undergraduate Research and Enrichment Programs during the fall and winter terms to review, interview, and advise our students on their applications:

• Korin Tangtrakul, Program Strategist for Place-Based Initiatives, City of Philadelphia; formerly Sustainability Manager, Sustainable Water Resources Engineering Lab
  
• Dr. Alexis Schulman, Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science; Director of the Environmental Studies and Sustainability Program; Dolan Fellow for Innovation in Water Science, Patrick Center for Environmental Research, Academy of Natural Sciences
  
• Dr. Amanda McMillan Lequieu, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Center for Science, Technology and Society

For more information, please visit our Udall Scholarship page or email us at fellowships@drexel.edu.