Three University of Montana students were named 2026 Udall Scholars, receiving national recognition for their leadership and commitment to public service in health care, tribal policy, and environmental sustainability, according to a May 13 announcement from the university.
The Udall Scholarship honors undergraduate students who show dedication to making a difference through civility, integrity, consensus-building, nonpartisanship, and public service. This recognition highlights the ongoing achievements of University of Montana (UM) students in addressing challenges within their communities. According to the official website, UM accommodates more than 11,000 students and functions as a public research university emphasizing academic excellence and hands-on education.
Susan Connelly, Elannah Flat Lip, and Vivianne Ostheimer are this year’s recipients. Kylla Benes, director of UM’s Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships said: “The University’s commitment to engaged learning, service and fostering leaders of tomorrow enables our students to be successful in applying to nationally competitive scholarships that share the same values, like the Udall. All of these women exemplify the Udall Scholarship’s criteria of making a difference through civility, integrity, consensus, nonpartisanship and public service. Each is already using their knowledge and talents to make a positive impact on their communities in inspiring ways.”
Connelly is from Browning and is a member of the Blackfeet Tribe majoring in public health. She plans to pursue graduate studies at UM with an aim toward improving Indigenous health equity at the state level. “I want to help Indigenous communities all of them,” Connelly said. “So I think approaching this work from a state level would be more effective while also supporting the entire state.” She added that community prevention within Native communities is important because it can make a difference: “Community prevention and promoting healthy behaviors within Native communities in particular is very important to me because I know it can make a difference.”
Flat Lip comes from St. Ignatius as a member of Crow and Salish Tribes studying Human Biology and Biomedical Sciences with aspirations toward pediatric medicine for rural Native American families. Reflecting on her motivation she said: “The doctor was almost implying that my mom wasn’t properly caring for me… And I was like ‘I love my mom…she gave me opportunities.’” Flat Lip emphasized cultural understanding: “Culture and education can intertwine; you can combine both worlds,” she said.
Ostheimer is from Buffalo Wyoming majoring in environmental science & journalism; she hopes her future work will support municipal sustainability initiatives focused on renewable energy transitions at local government levels. Ostheimer reflected on her experience: “I just wanted to do something local that would benefit my community…I chose to work on [Missoula’s climate action roadmap] because I felt that it was directly tied to making real actionable progress.” She added about responsible leadership: “We had to answer the question: What is responsible leadership when right answers don’t exist? … When there’s no right answers all you can do is have conversations about it…which is what integrity means.”
According to the official website, UM offers virtual tours for prospective students along with online degree options extending its reach beyond Missoula; admissions processes allow access across undergraduate graduate professional programs as part of its mission as an inclusive higher-education institution.
This year’s scholarship places these three Davidson Honors College scholars among 65 awardees nationwide selected from over 380 candidates across nearly two hundred colleges.