Summer May ’26 has been awarded a 2025 Udall Undergraduate Scholarship. Through a highly competitive selection process, the Udall Foundation awards 55 scholarships annually to college sophomores and juniors who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, public service, academic achievement, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or to the environment.
May, a member of the Red Lake Nation, is the third Augsburg student to receive a Udall Scholarship. Alongside her environmental studies major, she serves as a teaching facilitator at Red Lake Nation College. In this role she works with tribal elders to co-create online curriculum resources based on Indigenous traditions, values, and ecological knowledge and supports instructors in teaching Anishinaabeg language, history, and culture. She previously co-taught Intro to Anishinaabe Studies and Intro to Ojibwemowin at Red Lake Nation College and served as an Ojibwe language PSEO instructor at Robbinsdale High School.
“These experiences have helped me to realize that each of us has a strength that can be utilized to better the well-being of our community,” said May. “We are all born with the responsibility to uphold and use this strength for those presently, and those seven generations from now. It’s an honor to be able to serve my community and aid in the preservation and continuation of the Ojibwe cultural language and teachings.”
Through her work and her studies, May aims to further establish environmental curricula and programs that are grounded in Anishinaabeg values, with a goal of helping Red Lake Nation College and other institutions transition toward environmental sustainability. Ultimately, she hopes to develop outreach programs that make eco-centric knowledge available beyond academic spaces.
“Summer listens closely to folks of every sort and shares wonder without naiveté,” said Professor Michael Lansing, who nominated May for the Udall Scholarship. “Her ability to be true to herself, her considerable insights, and her closely-held commitments is matched by her willingness to learn from and honor others. It’s a potent combination, one that builds on a foundation of personal and intellectual integrity, and one that ensures she has an especially bright future.”
The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship honors the legacies of Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources. Udall Scholars receive up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses and benefit from professional development and training opportunities with environmental and Native professionals, other scholars, and the Udall alumni network.