Semesterly Communiqué

My obsession with all things Disney has gifted me a fairy godmother. Spring 2023 was a dream come true. I saw the highest number ever of applications for Fund for Education Abroad, Fulbright UK summer Institutes, and Cobell. For the first time, students applied for the Project GO scholarship, REU opportunities to the University of Michigan and Stony Brook University, and the Udall Native American Graduate Fellowship.

I learned this semester that Jacob Moll received a Fulbright ETA grant to N. Macedonia, and Parker Johnson won a summer 2023 Stony Brook REU. Trece Hopp won the American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellowship to fund her studies at the University of Michigan. Ariel Brunner, 2023 Project Go scholar, and Bebas Dhungana, 2023 Critical Language Scholar, are headed overseas for Mandarin and Hindi language study, respectively. Kordall Tan’s academic paper won national recognition in the American College of Clinical Experience (ACCE) student paper competition. Other notable recognitions are for Ethan McGregor, an alternate for the CLS Spark, who waits for final decision making. Mataya Erickson received an interview for the coveted Fulbright UK Summer Institute to study at Queen’s University in Belfast, Ireland. Finally, we learned this semester that senior Sydney Menne, graduate student Michaela L. Neal, and alumnus Vincent Ledvina all won the NSF-GRFP fellowships.

My fairy godmother even assisted me with organizing a ball at the beautiful Gorecki Alumni Center. With guidance and help from Dr. Randi Tanglen and Taylor Wald, we organized the first national scholarship faculty reception to thank faculty mentors who not only assisted these students on their scholarship applications, but also helped them set their professional directions to reach for the stars. In this issue, you will hear the testimonials of some of these students who talked about the importance of faculty and see some highlights of the reception. I would sum up the event with one word: MAGICAL.

This has been a great semester and a great year. I included end of the year national scholarship survey results below to summarize the highlights. Thank you so much to my scholarship family that help students dream big and support them toward making those dreams come true. This gratitude extends to my National Scholarship Peer Advisor, Jacob Stanley, who helped me organize many student events this semester.

Thank you fairy godmother,

Yee Han Chu PhD MSSW

Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator

At the end of each academic year, I survey students who submitted scholarships and REUS for the year. 19 students at multiple points of their academic preparation responded: freshman (4), sophomores (4), juniors (2), seniors (6), and graduates (3).

• 37% are first generation students.
• 47% receive a pell grant as part of their financial aid package.
• The most popular types of scholarships are for international/Language Study and STEM study.
  
• 63% consulted their faculty advisors, who were very helpful with their scholarship applications, for assistance.
  

My name is Jacob Moll, and I am a graduate student studying Geography. Last fall I applied to be an English teaching assistant in North Macedonia through the Fulbright program, and have recently been awarded as a finalist (recipient). While working on my application I was very fortunate to work with many faculty members on campus, most of which I had not previously known. I met with faculty from the library who assisted me with researching North Macedonia, I worked with Carissa Green from Political Science who helped clarify and cleanup my writing, and of course Yee Han and the campus Fulbright committee, who provided an immense source of support and feedback on my application.

I would also like to thank all of the Geography department faculty members, Dr. Munski, Dr. Vandeberg, Dr. Wang, and Dr. Mbuh, for the assistance and guidance they have provided. Whether it was through being a recommender for my application, helping develop my research and career interests, or offering a smiling face and words of encouragement. You have all been an integral part of my personal and professional development, which was such an important part of my Fulbright application.

Hello Everyone! My name is Trece Hopp, and I am about to graduate with a degree in Atmospheric Sciences! I have applied for many scholarships ranging from the natural sciences to the social sciences in hopes of connecting the two fields. I am honored to have been awarded the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship. This scholarship and internship gave me the opportunity to explore the social side of environmental issues and helped me move away from strict atmospheric sciences. In addition, I have also received the American Meteorological Society's Graduate Fellowship. This award supports my education as I continue into graduate school.

I have had many mentors over the past many years. My very first weather inspiration goes to Jay Stanley, who taught me physical science my freshman year of high school. My interests and passions were confirmed after talking with Dr. Mike Poellot during my UND tour. Through my time at UND, Dr. Aaron Kennedy, Fred Remer, Dr. Montana Etten-Bohm, Dr. Mark Jendrysik, and Dr. Yee Han Chu have been incredible in helping me organize my thoughts of education and my career. From being there and listening to writing me letters for applications over and over again. I knew I could come to each and every one of them for help. Even if they didn't know the answer, each professor would lead me to someone who did. My ideas were, and still are, outside the norm for my degree, but I never felt out of place. I was supported every time.

I am now honored to be attending the University of Michigan School for Environmental and Sustainability with a focus in Environmental Policy and Planning. The faculty and staff at UND have never faltered in supporting this decision. Thank you to every professor that has inspired a student. Your support and excitement mean so much to us.

I’m Cheyden Paulson, a senior majoring in International Studies and Spanish. I applied for and won the Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship. I am currently working as an intern for the US Commercial Service North Dakota and also the Rural Export Center in Fargo. The two organizations often work together and do similar work under the US Department of Commerce. My connection with the Department of State through the Critical Language Scholarship caught the attention of the Commercial Service and helped me get the internship.

Faculty members at UND have been crucial to my success. Dr. Sum was very kind to provide me with a letter of recommendation during my Freshman year, despite the fact that it was my first year so there hadn’t been much time yet to build a relationship. People like Yee Han Chu and Carissa Green were very helpful with things like writing the scholarship essays and figuring out the application process itself.

Faculty assistance has been an immense help when it comes to planning and shaping my career at UND as well as my future after UND. Faculty members like Dr. Routon and all the other Language professors, along with philosophy and political science professors, have taken time to give me academic and career guidance that will most definitely help me achieve success in the future.

My name is Sydney Menne, and when I first came to UND, I had no clue just how amazing my experience would be, and never could have imagined being where I am today. Thanks to many incredible professors, I quickly found an interest in physics and research, began working with Dr. Yee Han Chu on national and international scholarship applications, and saw those decisions open so many doors.

While at UND, I have applied for:

- DAAD-RISE Germany Scholarship/Research Fellowship (won)

- Goldwater Scholarship (did not win first time, won after second application)

- Brooke Owens Fellowship (won)

- Matthew Isakowitz Fellowship (won)

- Knight-Hennessy (withdrew because of Marshall)

- Gates Cambridge (did not win)

- Rhodes (finalist)

- NSF GRFP (won)

- Marshall (won)

These opportunities were only possible thanks to the passionate, kind, generous, and caring faculty at UND. They have helped in countless ways. At UND, I have met so many amazing people who have encouraged me to strive for my goals, talked with me about possible degrees, and encouraged me to reach high by introducing me to countless amazing opportunities I otherwise wouldn’t have known existed. Anyone who has applied for these opportunities knows that submitting an application is no easy feat, and UND’s faculty have provided support and encouragement through the application processes, doing things like talking with me, answering my questions, catching grammatical errors, and providing incredibly useful feedback.

I would like to give a huge thanks to all professors and faculty I’ve had the honor of working with. It’s been an absolute joy, and I can’t thank you all enough!

Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator

Email to schedule an appointment.

I work through the summer with the exception of JULY.

Email: yee.chu@und.edu
Website: https://und.edu/academics/national-scholarships/index.html
Location: Columbia Hall, Room B307
Phone: (701) 777-4436