Cronan named Udall honorable mention

University of North Georgia (UNG) senior Anna Cronan was named an honorable mention for the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship at the end of her junior year.

The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service and commitment to Native American nations or environment-related issues.

In 2023, the Udall Foundation awarded 55 scholarships of up to $7,000 each and named 55 students as honorable mentions. The 2023 Udall Scholars were selected from among 384 candidates at 172 colleges and universities.

"I really enjoyed the application process for the Udall Scholarship. It required a lot of self-reflection on where I want my academic and professional career to take me, and why I'm motivated to work in certain fields," Cronan, a Dahlonega, Georgia, resident, pursuing a degree in biology, said. "Dr. Anastasia Lin and Mrs. Jessy and Dr. David Patterson were critical to the writing process and have been invaluable as mentors and advisors."

The Udall Scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.

The Udall honorable mention is the latest of multiple national honors for Cronan, who took part in the summer 2023 Fulbright-MITACS Globalink Program. As the first UNG student to participate in the program, Cronan spent most of her summer at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She joined a faculty member there in research on the impact of cover crops in conventional no-till canola and wheat production. 

"Not only did I gain many technical skills over the summer," Cronan said. "I also made the sweetest friends that I'm excited to keep in touch with."

Cronan was awarded a prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship as a sophomore in 2022.