Five Dartmouth students have been selected for internships and scholarships sponsored by the, a federal agency which fosters environmental leadership and state and federal legislation in order to strengthen Native nations.
The late U.S. Rep. Morris Udall, D-Arizona, served in Congress from 1961-1991. His brother Stewart Udall, was also a member of Congress and then served as secretary of the interior from 1961 to 1969.
The foundation, which dates from 1992, established the internship and scholarship programs in 1996.
Kyyen Left Hand Thunder ’26 and Perciliana Moquino ’26 are two of 11 students representing nine tribes and 10 universities nationwide who have been chosen to spend the summer as interns in Washington, D.C., to experience firsthand the relationships between tribes and the federal government.
Neena Shell ’26, Bailey Nez ’26, and Maya Beauvineau ’26 are three of 55 students representing 12 tribes and 45 universities across the country who have been awarded undergraduate scholarship money by the Udall Foundation to pursue education and careers in tribal policy, Native health care, and the environment.
“The Udall Scholarship and Congressional Internship recognize students in environmental studies and Native and Indigenous studies, two fields that are enormously important to Dartmouth and its communities. We’re thrilled to have five incredible recipients this year: a testament to their work and to the strengths of these fields on campus,” says , director of the Fellowships and Scholars Program.
To date, the foundation, an independent executive branch agency, has not been affected by the cuts to federal spending by the Department of Government Efficiency, Harner says.
The Udall Foundation recipients from Dartmouth are:
Kyyen Left Hand Thunder ’26
Government, Native American Indigenous Studies
Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
The more I learned about the Udall Foundation, its work with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and its commitment to environmental justice and Native communities, the more I felt aligned with their mission. Their foundation’s focus covers many areas I seek to become active in within my career.
Spending the last three years on campus has only strengthened my passion for the work I want to pursue. I hope to learn and better understand how everything I’ve encountered in my studies comes into action. Another goal is to bring that knowledge back into my community to better navigate and negotiate with the federal government. In the future, I plan to attend law school, with the long-term goal of becoming a federal judge.
Outside of campus, I run a few educational social media pages to educate, spread awareness, and interact with all different kinds of people. There, I gather signatures for causes I care about, such as the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Movement and issues with voter suppression.
Perciliana Moquino ’26
Modified Environmental Studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies
Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico
I am passionate about pursuing a law degree, and want to focus on federal Indian and environmental law. For a while, I have been interested in learning how federal policy elevates and influences local and tribal advocacy. As a Native student, I appreciate how the Udall internship provides critical experience at the federal level, allowing me to engage with the legislative process, and bring that knowledge home to support my family, and my people’s future.
I hope to connect with policymakers and mentors who share my dedication to our tribal communities. As someone who is considering law school after undergrad, I saw how this experience might help me forge a path toward systemic change, ensuring my people’s health, lands, and cultures are protected for generations to come.
Moquino enjoys spending time with the community and at .
Maya Beauvineau ’26
Environmental Studies
I seek opportunities to connect with inspiring, dedicated, passionate people who are engaged in environmental and Indigenous advocacy. It is easy to feel overwhelmed and at times hope seems far away in regards to addressing the many intersecting and overlapping crises feeding into climate change. As I approach my senior year at Dartmouth, I seek to gain more clarity regarding my hopes for continuing environmental advocacy beyond Dartmouth. I believe the Udall cohort will help provide the support and community to navigate these next steps.
In the future, I see myself advocating for environmental justice close to my family in Colorado. I am considering applying for law school following 1-2 years of exploring work with environmental justice non-profits.
At Dartmouth, I organize with Fossil Free Dartmouth, a student group advocating for Dartmouth to disassociate from the fossil fuel industry. Though it at times feels like an uphill battle, FFD has brought me a tight-knit community and has taught me invaluable skills for developing relationships and a grounded strategy for advocacy.
Bailey Nez ’26
Native Tribal Policy
Navajo Nation, New Mexico
I am inspired every day by the activism and community I witness the Native community at Dartmouth promote, and wish to follow in the footsteps of past, present, and future Natives at Dartmouth. I’ve always been passionate about working in environmental protection for our tribal nations; however, being at Dartmouth with so many incredible Native scholars and activists has inspired me to continue to work towards a career in law and policy to foster the spirit of activism.
I am pursuing a JD in environmental law and federal Indian law. I am passionate about a career where I can utilize law and policy to protect sacred sites and lands for Native tribes in the era of resource extraction and climate change. I would love to return to my Navajo community and work with my tribe, but would be immensely happy to work in any Native community doing environmental protection work.
Neena Shell ’26
Native American and Indigenous Studies, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Navajo Nation, Ohio
This is the second year in a row that Shell has been selected for a Udall Foundation scholarship.
Being from Ohio, we have no federally or state-recognized tribes or any tribal lands. But, Arizona is the home of my family and ancestors, so I would like to spend time there learning our language, deepening my connection to our culture, and directly serving my community there. I would also be open to working in Washington, D.C., representing the Navajo Nation or for intertribal organizations, such as the Native American Rights Fund, so that I may support all of my relations across the country.
Through my studies and mentors in the Native American and Indigenous studies department, as well as the women, gender, and sexuality studies program, I have learned about the importance of incorporating Indigenous pedagogies and practices into my scholarship and research in creative ways. While I want to become a lawyer practicing federal Indian and tribal law to support my community and intertribal relations across the country, my long-term goal is to become an undergraduate professor. I want to combine my future knowledge in federal Indian and tribal law with Indigenous feminisms to teach students how to critically analyze how Indigenous people are both controlled and reaffirmed through the law, and how we may continue to come to terms with this dynamic in meaningful ways.
I am a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow who will begin research this summer for my upcoming NAIS honors thesis. I will be learning about the women of the Society of American Indians, established in Columbus, Ohio, my home state, in 1911, by looking at the magazine the Society published.
Shell is also co-president of Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theatre.
