- May 14, 2026
- By Laura Barnhardt Cech
Two University of Maryland juniors working on environmental issues have been awarded prestigious scholarships from the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation.
Vivian Maneval ’27 and Michelle Wang ’27 were among 65 students nationally selected to receive $7,500 Udall Undergraduate Scholarships, which recognize and support future leaders in environmental, tribal public policy and health care fields.
Maneval, an environmental science and policy major who is earning a minor in remote sensing of environmental change, plans to use the award to complete a fall internship in Germany with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which is the leading treaty on responding to global climate change. Wang, a double major in environmental science and policy along with social data science, plans to use the award to study abroad at National Taiwan University's School of Bioresources and Agriculture.
Both are University Honors students who work for UMD’s Office of Sustainability and have completed internships through the UMD Federal Fellows program.
“As we prepare the next generation of critical thinkers and change agents, Maryland is proud to have students who are dedicated to environmental justice and public service,” said Associate Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Studies William A. Cohen. “Vivian and Michelle are already addressing pressing issues facing the world.”
Since 1996 when the scholarship for undergraduates was created, 17 UMD students have been selected as Udall Scholars. This is only the third time in UMD history that two students received awards in the same year.
“We are thrilled to see Vivian and Michelle both receive national recognition as future environmental leaders,” said Leslie Brice Bustamante, assistant director of the National Scholarships Office. “Through Vivian’s commitment to protect coastlines worldwide and Michelle’s passion to serve marginalized communities threatened by pollution, they will make significant contributions in the future.”
Earlier this semester, Wang also received a $30,000 Truman Scholarship, the nation’s most selective award for underclassmen with exceptional leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or in the nonprofit sector, and demonstrated academic excellence.
Wang, who serves as co-president of the 17 for Peace and Justice environmental justice club, completed an internship last year with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environmental Crimes Section, where she worked on prosecuting violations of federal environmental statutes. She was chosen as a Maryland Public Service Scholar and as a Governor’s Summer Internship Program Fellow last year, where she served as an intern at the Maryland Department of Commerce.
Maneval has completed several internships, including for the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, which works to protect global biodiversity. She studied climate-resilient development and urban ecology in Vietnam and sustainable ecosystems in New Zealand.
“I really believe in the Udall program’s values of service not only to your community and campus, but also wider public service, which is what the whole environmental field really is,” said Maneval. “Having a tangible reminder of what I've been working toward is really meaningful.”
The Udall Foundation was established by Congress as an executive branch agency to honor the Udall brothers, who both served in the House of Representatives, for their impact on the environment, public lands and natural resources, and support of the rights and self-governance of American Indians and Alaska Natives.