Throughout her time at Fordham, senior Olivia Griffin has been passionate about protecting the environment while supporting native communities. Now the Udall Foundation is recognizing her as a future leader in the environmental space.
Griffin is a recipient of a 2024 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship, a highly competitive award for scholars building impactful careers in environmental protection, tribal public policy, or health care. The tribal public policy and health care tracks are only awarded to Native American and Alaskan Native scholars, while the environmental track that Griffin earned is open to all, meaning the competition is fierce. Out of 341 applicants in the environmental category, she was one of 37 who received the scholarship.
The benefits of the scholarship include $7,000 for academic expenses, connection to a vibrant alumni network, and a four-day orientation in Tucson, Arizona. Griffin especially enjoyed meeting fellow Udall scholars at the orientation this summer and listening to lectures about indigenous ecological knowledge.
When she learned her application was successful, “I was ecstatic,” Griffin said. The scholarship is just her latest award — she also earned Fordham’s Trinity Financial Fellowship in Urban Studies for 2024.
Connecting with Native Heritage and Mother Earth
Griffin grew up in Oklahoma City and is a member of the Cherokee Nation. She says she feels a strong link to the environment that stretches all the way back to her ancestors. She recalled a passage from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “Braiding Sweetgrass” that illustrates this connection.
“It’s a pretty well-known creation story that varies from tribe to tribe of this sky woman falling down to the Earth and all the animals that help her with her landing. She brings these seeds down, and she creates the planet, sort of like a Mother Earth character,” said Griffin. “Tied into Indigenous origin stories is this inherent sustainability and care for the Earth.”
Environmental Advocacy at Fordham and Beyond
Griffin is a member of the Fordham College at Rose Hill Honors Program, pursuing a degree in Urban Studies with a minor in English. She’s also a member of the United Student Government at Rose Hill Sustainability Committee, where she plans events like cleanups and educational seminars and a member of Students for Environmental Action and Justice.
Griffin has interned with Cherokee Federal, where she helped manage Federal environmental projects. The scholarship is making it possible for her to continue gaining valuable experience in the field alongside her studies. As part of an internship with Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice, she’s started working with Bronx community members to study and address brownfield sites, former industrial areas contaminated by pollutants that can pose risks to human health.
“The scholarship will help to cover my expenses since the nonprofit can’t pay me. That will definitely help compensate some of my work,” she said.
A Rising Star in Sustainability
After graduation, Griffin plans to work for a few years before pursuing a master’s in urban planning at a school with a focus on indigenous planning and resource management.
Combining urban planning, environmentalism, and tribal studies makes for a rare specialty, but Griffin hopes other scholars will follow in her path. “I’d like to see how my experiences and knowledge could help the Cherokee Nation, but also in a broader sense,” she said.
—Alex Williamson
