Michigan State University’s Langstaff named the university’s newest Udall Scholar

STARKVILLE, Miss.—A junior majoring in wildlife, fisheries, and aquaculture from Southaven has been named Mississippi State’s newest Udall Scholar.

Lily Langstaff, the fifth recipient of this prestigious national award at the university, is part of a select group of around 55 students nationwide with a passion for conservation and environmental issues, as well as Native American students pursuing careers in Tribal policy and health care.

As a Udall Scholar, Langstaff will be granted up to $7,000 for academic expenses, gain access to the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation’s alumni network, and join its scholar orientation program.

“Lily Langstaff will represent Mississippi State exceptionally well as our newest Udall Scholar. It’s a huge honor for her and the university,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “We are truly proud of Lily and our exceptional faculty and mentors who have equipped her to compete for such a prestigious national scholarship.”

Langstaff, who is also an Ottilie Schillig Presidential Endowed Scholar and a member of the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College and the College of Forest Resources, is studying conservation biology with the aim of making a significant impact on the Mississippi River through policy work. She intends to work as a government affairs liaison for a nonprofit organization focusing on water resources conservation, wetland restoration, flood mitigation, and nature-based management of seasonally flooded areas like the Mississippi Delta.

She has recently been granted a prestigious summer fellowship as part of the Public Policy and International Affairs Program’s Junior Summer Institute.

Langstaff’s selection marks the second consecutive year for MSU students to receive this award, following last year’s recipients Lucy Mellen, a senior majoring in geosciences and political science from Hattiesburg, and Grant C. Peterson, a senior majoring in wildlife, fisheries, and aquaculture from Starkville.

The Udall scholarship pays tribute to the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose work had significant impacts on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources. For more information on the Udall Scholarship program, please visit https://www.udall.gov.

MSU’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, led by Director David Hoffman, oversees nominations for the Udall Scholarship. Hoffman, who is also an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, can be contacted for application information at https://www.honors.msstate.edu/prestigious-external-scholarships/.

For more information about the College of Forest Resources and the Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College at MSU, please visit www.cfr.msstate.edu and www.honors.msstate.edu, respectively.