Source: James Hohenbary, 785-532-6904, jimlth@k-state.edu
Hometown connection: Garden City, Kanopolis, Leavenworth, Peabody, Wichita and Wilson
News release prepared by: Stephanie Jacques, 785-532-3453, sjacques@k-state.edu
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Environmental champions: Six students nominated for Udall Scholarship
MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University has nominated six students for the Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship: Lauren Harness, Garden City; Graciela Orozco, Kanopolis; DeeAnn-Rose Turpin,Leavenworth; Joshua Klarmann, Peabody; Rachel Hoppins, Wichita; and Sophia Ford, Wilson.
Awarded to only 80 students a year, the Udall Scholarship is a national scholarship for college students committed to careers related to the environment, tribal public policy or Native American heath care. Scholars are awarded up to $5,000, or $350 if selected as an honorable mention. Each educational institution in the United States is allotted six nominations a year. Recipients of the scholarship will be selected April 2.
With 22 Udall scholars, Kansas State University ranks fifth among all the four-year colleges and universities in the nation for total awardees since the scholarship program began in 1996. Udall nominees must have at least one full year of undergraduate study remaining to be eligible for the scholarship.
Harness is a junior in architecture with a community planning minor. She serves as the community service chair and environmental chair for Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and she is a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society. She is also the chair for the university chapter of Habitat for Humanity's recycling committee. On the university's semester honors list, Harness is a College of Architecture, Planning and Design ambassador. She is active in Students for Environmental Action and the student farm design team. She also volunteers with the Finney County Preservation Alliance and has participated in International Buddies. A graduate of Garden City High School, she is the daughter of Donald and Nancy Harness, Garden City.
Orozco is a senior in biological engineering and biology. She has several ongoing research projects, including working with stable isotopes in the environment and investigating how temperature affects native tallgrass water demands on Konza Prairie Biological Station. Orozco is the president of Sigma Lambda Gamma, a Latina-based sorority, and is a member of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization. She takes part in the Multicultural Engineering Program, Engineering a Dream and the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. A McNair scholar and a National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering Scholar, Orozco was awarded the Division of Biology's Most Promising Student award and the Leadership Studies Gallery of Peace and Justice Grant in 2011. She also participates in St. Isidore's Liturgical Ministries. A graduate of Ellsworth High School, she is the daughter of Peter and Bonnie Orozco, Kanopolis.
Turpin is a senior in biological systems engineering and a member of Alpha Epsilon engineering honor society. As project manager for the university chapter of Engineers Without Borders, she has traveled to India, Guatemala and Ecuador to create a rainwater harvesting system. She initiated Give it up for Good -- a reusable goods exchange to benefit community charities -- and is the project coordinator for Ecumenical Campus Ministries. She is active in Students for Environmental Action, Habitat for Humanity and Society of Hispanic and Professional Engineers. In 2011, Turpin received a Udall Scholar honorable mention, an inaugural New Faces of Engineering College Edition Award and Outstanding Student of the Year Award from the university's Multicultural Engineering Program. She is the recipient of several additional awards and honors, including the Kansas Water Environment Association's Shirley Coles Memorial Scholarship, the Kansas Environment Health Association's Bill Spaniol Memorial Scholarship and is a National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering scholar. A graduate of Leavenworth Senior High School, she is the daughter of Shoney Turpin, Leavenworth.
Klarmann is a sophomore in secondary education and mathematics with a secondary major in natural resources and environmental sciences. He is the treasurer of the K-State Marathon Club, recruiter for Rotoract, environmental chair for West Hall Governing Board, vice president of A Campus Taking Initiative on Nonviolence and fundraising chair for Fire, a feminist organization. He also is active in Students for Environmental Action, Ultimate Intramurals and Student Farm Club, a student-run garden. He has received the Tomorrow's Teacher Scholarship and the Nancy Glover Craig Education Scholarship. Klarmann was named a 2010 Kansas Governor's Scholar, and is a member of the National Residence Hall Honorary. A graduate of Peabody-Burns High School, he is the son of Deborah McSweeney and George Klarmann, Peabody.
Hoppins is a senior in biology with a secondary major in natural resources and environmental science and a minor in leadership studies. For the past 10 years she has volunteered for the Sedgwick County Zoo and has led a summer education program for high school students. Hoppins is the secretary for the K-State Tennis Club and the community liaison for the university's LGBT and Allies student group. She is also the chair of the 2012 Little Apple Pride Parade. Hoppins was awarded the Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship in 2011, and has received the university's Putnam and Sherrid scholarships. A graduate of Wichita Northwest High School, she is the daughter of Barbara and Jim Hoppins, Wichita.
Ford is a senior in geology. She is currently the president of Williston Geology Club, and she has been active in Students for Environmental Action, African Studies Student Association and Kansas State University Marching Band. She was awarded the Gilman International Scholarship for the spring 2011 semester to study at the University of Iceland. Traveling to India in December 2011, she studied arsenic contaminated water wells with Saugata Datta, assistant professor of geology. Both international trips have furthered her interest in the environment. A graduate of Wilson High School, she is the daughter of Allison Ford, Wilson, and Howard Ford, Arkansas City.
