UA News

Two Honors College students are among those across the nation to receive the Morris K. Udall Foundation Scholarship.

Monique Adakai and Candace Begody speak seemingly from the same thread.

Both University of Arizona students and members of the Navajo Nation, Adakai and Begody each said the situations of their home communities is the motivating force driving their their personal development, their service work and academic efforts.

They were are among 80 students across the nation to be named scholars by the Morris K. Udall Foundation.

The reason they remain committed to their work is because each wants deeply to aid in the advancement of their families and their respective communities.

For Adakai, that's Hardrock or Big Mountain in the northern region of Arizona. For Begody, that's Ganado in the state's northeastern region.

Adakai and Begody, a UA journalism major also completing coursework in American Indian Studies, said the honor will help them long-term.

"In the long run, I want to be able to take care of myself, my family and my people all at once," said Adakai, a UA environmental science major focusing on science and policy.

Udall scholarships go to young leaders who are committed to working in commitment to careers in either tribal policy or healthcare, and the designation comes with up to $5,000 for one year.

The Udall Foundation is an independent federal agency the U.S. Congress created in 1992 in the memory of Congressman Udall. Udall, a UA alumnus, was a representative from Arizona who is credited with working to increase the size of the national wilderness and the national park system. Udall is also known for promoting self-governance among tribal nations.

This year, 515 candidates were in the running for the scholarship, which is awarded to students who have a record of leadership and academic strength and are committed to working in fields the center on the environment, healthcare or tribal public policy.

Brittany L. Choate, a UA student studying agricultural technology management, was among 50 to receive an honorable mention in the competition. That honor comes with a $350 award.

Adakai, an undergraduate research scientist with the UA's Arizona Laboratory for Emerging Contaminants, is currently a UA sophomore. Her research focuses on the effects that pesticides and other contaminates have on insects such as bees. Ultimately, she wants to go on to medical school to work toward becoming a surgeon or a pediatrician.

Adakai said she chose her profession because of childhood experiences relying on treatment at Indian Health Service facilities.

"There were so many hours and so many years of waiting," she said, noting that she and her family did not always receive adequate health or medical care at the facilities. "I am going to school to get an education because I want to help improve the system for my grandparents and my people."

Adakai said she firmly believes that it is not only the medical system that must improve, but people must have greater access to information about health and wellness.

For Begody, her path toward journalism was somewhat accidental.

After her older brother passed during her freshman year at the UA, Begody opted to return to her reservation to help her family. By the time she arrived, her family had already mustered the motivation to return to work and her siblings were in summer school.

This left Begody – an aspiring pharmacist – alone without work. So, she opted to pursue a job with the Navajo Times.

"That's when I started learning about the issues in tribal government and education and in healthcare and I began thinking about the injustices," she said. "And I got mad inside. It's really hard to see your people suffer when they have been suffering for years."

But she let loose that anger in a proactive way.

Begody was crowed Miss Native American University of Arizona 2009-2010, was named Scholar of the Year in the UA's First Year Scholars Program and also received the University's Pillars of Excellence award earlier this year.

She launched the Native American Journalists Association's student chapter at the UA and also is founder of "Native Perspectives: Giving Voice to Indigenous Peoples of Arizona," the first UA student produced news journal, which was launched during the fall semester.

Her main concerns are with promoting leadership on the reservations that respects ideals rooted in tradition – working in unison with one another, respecting the land and finding balance, being among them.

Begody, who said she is sometimes frustrated by the lack of support on the reservations, particularly of the youth, said: "How much better would we be if people would just get behind us a bit more?"

She wants to see new and improved programming for American Indian youth – after-school programs, motivation toward higher education degrees, information about money management and science-focused professions, among other things.

"For so long, there has been this one-size-fits-all approach to Native American people," Begody said. "It's not working."