THE Lorraine W. Frank National Scholarship Advisory Office (ONSA) recently announced that Arizona State University student Ethan Tacheene received the award Udall Undergraduate Scholarship, a major federal scholarship for sophomores and juniors who demonstrate leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to Native American nations or the environment. The scholarship provides up to $7,000 for eligible academic expenses and access to the Udall alumni network.
“I feel amazing to have been chosen as a Udall Scholar. It’s something we can be very proud of,” said Tacheene, a native of Many Farms, a small community on the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, where her home had no running water or electricity.
Tacheene, a business law major and student at Barrett, ASU’s Honors College, is the 42nd ASU student to be named a Udall Undergraduate Scholar since the program began in 1997. He received honorable mention for stock market last year.
“After receiving an honorable mention, I thought if I could get the scholarship, I could have a stronger voice, be a better representative of my people and show that it is possible to try again and succeed,” said he declared.
Tacheene is one of 55 Udall Scholars from across the country selected in 2024. Madison Eklund, a sophomore conservation biology and ecology major and Barrett Honors College student, received honorable mention this year.
Tacheene, who is interested in tribal law and politics, as well as the economies of small, rural communities like his hometown, said the scholarships were fundamental in allowing him to enter and stay at ASU.
“I spent most of my time wondering how I was going to be able to afford to go to school and how I was going to be able to live a life different from that of my hometown,” said Tacheene, who , in addition to the Udall Scholarship, received the Obama and Chief Manuelito Scholarships and was a semifinalist for the Flinn Scholarship.
He served as Director of Operations for the Native American trade organization at ASU, and was active in the Office of Native American Initiatives and the Indigenous Peoples Alliance.
Tacheene advised the Barrett Honors College on ways to encourage Native American students to enroll at ASU and helped high school students in his hometown with admissions applications, scholarships and financial aid. His honors thesis is an in-depth study of the contemporary economic landscape of the Navajo Nation and the formulation of strategic initiatives to promote economic growth and progress.
Tacheene said he wanted to learn as much as possible about business and law in order to “go back to where I came from and try to see if I can find ways to open doors for people — for students and future…
