UGA Honors student Torre Lavelle has been named a 2015 Udall Foundation Scholar. The scholarships of up to $5,000 are awarded to outstanding sophomores and juniors pursuing careers focused on environmental or Native American public policy.
Lavelle is one of 50 Udall Scholars nationwide chosen from 464 nominees. She is the eighth UGA student to be awarded the scholarship in the past five years.
“The University of Georgia community is excited for Torre,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “She is a bright student with a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. I cannot think of a more deserving student for this highly selective national award.”
Lavelle is a recipient of UGA’s Foundation Fellowship who is majoring in ecology and also pursuing an honors interdisciplinary studies degree in political ecology and environmental economics. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in environmental management as well as a Juris Doctor to fulfill her aspiration of becoming a conservation policymaker.
“I think what is remarkable about Torre is that she manages to do it all,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program. “Torre acts within her local communities through her service activities and also contributes on a broad national and even international scale through her policy work.”
Lavelle’s studies have been augmented by experiences in the laboratory through UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities as well as in the field in Fiji through UGA’s Center for Integrative Conservation Research. She studied in England through the UGA at Oxford program and interned with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. Lavelle served as the editor for civic policy for the Journal for Undergraduate Research Opportunities at UGA, presented a white paper on energy efficiency standards at the White House and served as a panelist for a federal congressional delegation.
