Kasey Ingram, 2026 Udall Scholar (Tribal Public Policy)
(May 14, 2026) The Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) announced today that 65 students from 49 colleges and universities have been selected as 2026 Udall Scholars. This year's class was selected on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, Tribal public policy, or Native health care; leadership potential; record of public service; and academic achievement. The 2026 Udall Scholars were selected from 383 candidates nominated by 181 colleges and universities. Forty-seven Scholars intend to pursue careers related to the environment, 10 Native American or Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Tribal public policy, and eight Native American or Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Native health care. For 2026, the Udall Foundation increased the number of scholarships from 55 to 65 and the award amount from $7,000 to $7,500.
Kasey Ingram from Sedona AZ, an OSU junior studying Marine Biology and Ecology with a minor in Indigenous Studies has been named a 2026 Udall Scholar in the Tibal Public Policy category. Kasey is also a NOAA Hollings scholar, an OSU Vanguarding an Inclusice Ecological Workforce (VIEW) fellow with the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and held a summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) with the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission where she studied the relationship between upwelling and nearshore hypoxia in the Pacific Northwest.
Kasey’s career goal is to become a marine biologist who serves and supports Indigenous communities by conserving and restoring culturally significant marine species and ecosystems such as salmon, lamprey, and kelp forests in the Pacific Northwest. She aspires to shape tribal public policy by working with tribal policy makers to develop well-informed policies concerning environmental protection and natural resource management.
Four other talented students were also nominated by OSU to compete at the national level for the Udall Scholarship in the Environment category: Lily Bell a junior in the Honors College and College of Engineering studying Ecological Engineering; Guadalupe “Peeta” Arenas, a junior in College of Engineering studying Ecological Engineering; Sofia Belikov, a junior in the College of Agricultural Sciences studying Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences; and Maddy Cannon, a junior in the Honors College, the College of Engineering, and the College of Agricultural Sciences studying Civil Engineering and Sustainability.
Each Scholarship provides up to $7,500 for eligible academic expenses for the Scholar’s junior or senior year of academic study. Since the program’s inception in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 2,073 Udall Scholarships totaling over $11.130 million.
More Information
The Udall scholarship application and nomination process is administered at OSU by National and Global Scholarships Advising. For more information about the Udall Scholarship for OSU students, please contact LeAnn Adam, Director and visit the Udall Foundation website. Meet the 2026 Udall Scholars.
About the Udall Foundation
The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 as an independent executive branch agency to honor Morris K. Udall's lasting impact on this Nation’s environment, public lands, and natural resources, and his support of the rights and self-governance of Native Americans and Alaska Natives. In 2009, Congress enacted legislation to also honor Stewart L. Udall, Morris K. Udall’s brother, for his more than 50 years of distinguished national leadership in environmental and Native American policy. The agency is known today as the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation (Udall Foundation) and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona.