OXFORD, Miss. – When the chancellor’s office at the
University of Mississippi called Alecia Waite to schedule a
meeting about environmental issues, the student leader and
activist immediately prepared herself to show how Ole Miss
could improve its recycling efforts.
But Chancellor Robert Khayat had a different agenda –
namely, a surprise reception to congratulate Waite on
winning a 2008 Morris K. Udall Scholarship.
“It’s funny, because I was cramming for the meeting,
studying up on recycling, so I’d be ready,” said Waite of
Oxford, a senior in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors
College. “I first heard about the Udall in my freshman
year. It was a lot of work, but it was really worth it.”
Waite is to receive up to $5,000 for one year. She is among
69 scholars who intend to pursue careers related to the
environment, a topic that Udall was passionate about during
his 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. A total
of 80 scholars were chosen from more than 500 applicants
nominated by 239 colleges and universities.
“Being selected as a Udall Scholar clearly recognizes
Alecia as one of the outstanding university students in
America,” Khayat said. “It was a highly competitive
process. It is a credit to both Alecia and to this
university for her to be named a Udall Scholar, and we
congratulate her.”
Waite aspires to teach international studies at the
collegiate level, with a focus on U.S. and Chinese
environmental policy. Though she’d been active with the UM
environmental group Roots and Shoots, it was a monthlong
internship in Beijing that gave her a new perspective on
how climate change affects urban areas. During her daily
two-hour commute, Waite said she inhaled lots of dust and
“enough exhaust to give me a headache every morning.”
“It is easy to envision environmental concerns in terms of
melting icebergs, deforestation and other tangible images,
but cities are full of environmental concerns that can be
just as tragic,” Waite wrote in her Udall application. “The
number one cause of hospitalizations in Beijing is air
pollution-related diseases. The experience of living in a
city with such vast environmental challenges as Beijing
inspired me to adopt an urban focus in my research.”
That passion, along with her tireless work ethic, has
earned Waite many fans among her professors.
“Alecia is a very smart, very hard worker,” said Kees
Gispen, director of the Croft Institute for International
Studies. “She is modest and humble, but still draws people
in with her personality. She will go into the environmental
arena as a lifelong pursuit, with a savvy that will serve
her well.”
“Alecia has been super-attentive to the issues affecting
development and justice toward the environment,” said SMBHC
Dean Douglass Sullivan-Gonzáles. “When I think about
Alecia, she has a remarkable grasp of how global
environmental issues break down into practical day-to-day
concerns.”
The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National
Environmental Policy Foundation was authorized by Congress
in 1992 to honor Udall’s legacy of public service. The
foundation is supported by a trust fund in the U.S.
Treasury and contributions from the private sector. Since
the first awards in 1996, 994 Udall Scholars have been
selected.
“Alecia is deeply committed to the environment; it goes
bone-deep with her, said SMBHC Assistant Dean Debra Young,
who coached Waite on her Udall application. “Knowing her,
she’ll be disappointed this meeting she expected with the
chancellor isn’t what she thought it would be.”
Turns out Young was wrong – sort of.
“I’m not disappointed; this is really awesome,” Waite said.
“But you can tell Chancellor Khayat that I’d still like to
meet with him on environmental issues.”