NSPA Semesterly Communiqué
Fall 2021 Volume III: Issue I
Following One's Purpose
Merit-based scholarship awardees share the common trait of a profound sense of purpose. These students intend to accomplish something that is both personally and professionally meaningful. They aim to engage productively in the world beyond themselves and will never need to question the import of their lives.
This sense of purpose underscores their leadership. Much like the North Star that guides a sailor’s travels, their purpose directs them toward taking sensible risks, staying calm in the face of uncertainty, thinking deeply about disciplinary challenges, and pausing regularly to self-reflect.
This purpose also paves a pathway toward happiness. One of my favorite psychologists, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who asks what makes a life worth living, studies a state of happiness called flow. In this state, a sublime serenity emerges as one’s energies, sensitivities, and sensibilities converge onto a singular task. A clear sense of purpose maps those tasks toward happiness.
The students honored today in the UND National Scholarship Ceremony have all demonstrated a profound sense of purpose. I am so honored that they have shared their very personal stories with me. This issue of the NSPA Semesterly Communiqué focuses on the individuals behind the awards and the purpose that drives what they do. I introduce to you Kacie Baumler, Nathan Foster, Patricia Hopp, Merrick McMahon, Sydney Menne, Erin Morin, Michelle Nguyen, Cheyden Paulson, and Shealynn Wells.
Thank you to my NSPA students, Mary Martin and Mary Labuhn, who helped me put this issue together.
Yee Han Chu PhD MSSW
Academic Support and Fellowship Opportunities Coordinator
Class of 2021
Kacie Baumler-Rotary Global Grant Scholarship
Future Goals:
I will graduate from my program in August of 2023. I then plan to work in Scotland, which is where I am presently located, for a year while I await my U.S. credentials. Following this I hope to return to the United States to work as an occupational therapist working in neurology or with spinal cord injuries.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I hope that someone would say that I have taken full advantage of the life that has been given to me. That I have loved the people around me well, and that I have not taken anything in my life for granted.
Improbable Fact:
I once (unintentionally) hit a golf ball through a clubhouse window. The owner of the golf course then informed me that I had hit the worst shot that he had seen in his 35 years of working there.
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
Poldark on BBC
Click to learn more about the Rotary Global Grant Scholarship.
Nathan Foster-Boren Scholarship
Future Goals:
My future goals include finally getting to go to Taiwan and starting a career with the federal government using my language skills. After starting my career with the government I plan to become the newest Green Bay Packers season ticket holder.
I would want someone to remark on my strong optimism and perseverance.
Improbable Fact:
I once built a cedar-strip canoe from scratch (and actually used it).
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
Airplane Repo
Click to learn more about the Boren Awards.
Patricia Hopp-NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship
Future Goals:
I would like to aid our communities in their preparation and response to natural disasters. I wish to help specifically the communities that are particularly susceptible to major destruction. I also hope to grow a family while doing so.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I would like someone to say that I was a good person and still am (assuming I'm still alive and going). That I am a strong advocate in my career for those who don't have a voice or who's voice has been silenced. Assuming I marry and have children, that I am a good mother and wife.
Improbable Fact:
I was the mascot of my high school my freshman year.
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
I don't watch a lot of TV shows but I do love the Shrek movies.
Click to learn more about the NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship.
Merrick McMahon- Udall, Indian Health Services, & Cobell Scholarships
Future Goals:
I hope to eventually become an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for the IHS. Additionally, I hope to join public health efforts.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I would like someone to say that I was kind.
Improbable Fact:
I train Brazilian jiu jitsu
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
I really do not watch TV much. Maybe South Park.
Click to learn more about the Udall, Indian Health Services, & Cobell Scholarships.
Sydney Menne-DAAD Rise in Germany Scholarship
Future Goals:
I hope to do research and work either in nuclear physics or the aerospace field.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I want to still be really active and doing a lot, both physically and academically. I want someone to say "wow, she's still doing all that at SEVENTY??"
Improbable Fact:
My friends and I went skydiving over Yosemite National Park.
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
The Office
Click to learn more about the DAAD Rise-Germany scholarship.
Erin Morin-Cobell & Wells Fargo American Indian Scholarships
Future Goals:
My goal is to help others in general and focus my career in the healthcare community. I have always been fascinated with medicine and knew that one day I will become a healthcare provider. Whether it’s a nurse, nurse practitioner or a medical doctor, I will enjoy any position I plan to pursue. I also want to give back to my fellow reservations and work at any Indian Health Service that will have me. I know there has always been a shortage of workers and I believe it’s important that I help in any way I can.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I want others to feel I am fun to talk to and my own experiences may have helped them or made a positive impact on their own lives.
Improbable Fact:
I believe I am a very good cook and baker! May have to ask the friends if that true!
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
Reign
Click to learn more about the Cobell & Wells Fargo American Indian Scholarships
Cheyden Paulson-Critical Language Scholarships
Future Goals:
I am considering either a future in law or in the foreign service.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I would want someone to say that I’ve always treated others with kindness and compassion, and that I have been successful.
Improbable Fact:
I love to sing and play the guitar and piano.
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
The Vampire Diaries
Click to learn more about the Critical Language Scholarships.
Shealynn Wells-United Health Foundation Tribal Scholars & Cobell Scholarships
Future Goals:
My future goal is to attend graduate school to pursue my Ph.D. in nursing after the completion of my undergraduate degree. I want to help establish more culturally competent methods of delivering healthcare to Native American communities through research. Ultimately, l want to help reverse the high health disparities within Native American Communities. I want to be a part of the solution to issues that we as Native Americans face daily.
When I am 70 Years Old:
I would like them to say that I was a good mother and that I made meaningful contributions to the betterment of my community.
Improbable Fact:
I was a wildland firefighter for 3 summers. I miss it, being out in the middle of nowhere just you and nature. The adrenaline rushes, the nature, the people it was an experience that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Guilty Pleasure TV Show:
“Girls,” a show featured on HBO, really all of HBO’s limited feature TV shows, as soon as they release a new one I will watch it religiously.
Click to learn more about the United Health Foundation Tribal Scholars and Cobell Scholarships.
Dr. Yee Han Chu & NSPA
Email: yee.chu@und.edu
Website: https://und.edu/academics/national-scholarships/
Location: Columbia Hall, Room B307 501 North Columbia Road, Stop 7187 Grand Forks, ND 58202-7187
Phone: (701) 777-4436
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/108818960563786/posts/196605401785141/?d=n&substory_index=0