May 11, 2020
Sophomore in interior design earns honorable mention for Udall Scholarship
Submitted by Stephanie Jacques
Brett LaFleur, a sophomore in interior design, Omaha, Nebraska, has earned an honorable mention in the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Scholarship competition.
The Udall scholarship is worth up to $7,000 and is awarded to sophomore- or junior-level students seeking a career related to the environment or to Native American or Native Alaskan students seeking a career related to health care or tribal policy. This year, 55 students from 48 colleges and universities were selected as Udall scholars. The 15-member independent review committee also awarded 55 honorable mentions. The awardees were selected from a pool of 429 candidates nominated by in 199 colleges and universities.
Interested in incorporating sustainability in architecture, LaFleur is researching cooperative housing for low-income older adults and avenues to integrate principles of the WELL Building program and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification program. LaFleur says he wants to use these programs to improve the health and well-being of residents, the community and natural environment.
In fall 2019, LaFleur became the co-architecture discipline lead for the Solar Decathlon Sustainable Design Competition. He also serves as public relations and social chair for the student chapter of the United States Green Building Council and a member of the K-State Sustainable Initiative Committee and iDesign student-led organization for interior design students.
LaFleur won first place for his sustainable design project at the ATID Symposium for first and second years, was voted outstanding first-year student by interior design professors, received the Ellithorpe Research Scholarship and semester honors for spring 2019. He is the second-year class representative for the class of 2022, and a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society and Kappa Omicron Nu honor society. A 2018 graduate of Elkhorn High School, LaFleur is the son of Daryle and Rhonda LaFleur, Omaha.
Established by Congress in 1992, the Udall Foundation awards scholarships, fellowships and internships to students pursuing careers in fields related to the environment and to American Indians and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and tribal public policy; supports the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy and the Native Nations Institute; and provides assessment, mediation, training and other related services through the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
K-State students interested in applying for the Udall Scholarship next year are encouraged to contact Jim Hohenbary at jimlth@k-state.edu. The next campus deadline for seeking nominations is Nov. 30.