STUDENT SUPPORT

A Woman for All Seasons

Los Angeles native Kesha Ram has compiled numerous accomplishments at UVM since arriving on campus in the fall of 2004, not the least of which, she says, is learning to adjust to Vermont winters.

But the Honors College student and Student Government Association president has proven herself a woman for all seasons academically. She is pursuing two degrees simultaneously — a B.A. in political science and a B.S. in natural resource planning. She is one of only eighty students nationwide selected as a Udall Scholar by the Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National Environmental Policy Foundation for her demonstrated commitment to environmental issues. Her research on environmental inequality in Vermont has caught the attention of state policymakers, and she is helping to develop an environmental justice policy for Vermont. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation selected her as one of only sixty-five 2007 Truman Scholars in the country, based on leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of "making a difference." She spent the fall of 2006 as an intern for Senator Dianne Feinstein in Washington, D.C., where she focused on environmental and agricultural legislation for the state of California. And she still finds time for "spending time with children and animals, singing, dancing, discussing life's great mysteries over tea, and generally being alive."

Kesha is also a recipient of the Dodge Family Scholarship, part of a full-tuition scholarship offer from UVM that she says "enabled and enticed me to move all the way from Los Angeles, and adds to the regional and cultural diversity of UVM." Anne and Steven Dodge, parents of Benjamin Dodge '04, created the Dodge Family Cultural Diversity Scholarship Fund to help attract students to UVM who can contribute to the cultural diversity of the student body and campus life.

The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources was also something that drew her to UVM, she says, offering a quality environmental education and a small, close-knit community. "My advisors, including the dean of the school, have helped me pursue an intensive and rewarding academic program, including a thesis."
The Honors College, she says, has been "a wonderful learning experience that provided the opportunity to work individually with esteemed faculty."

Kesha's interest in environmental justice, which she describes as "a movement that embodies the intersection between environmentalism and civil rights," has her thinking about the future. "Should I pursue a legal or political career in this arena," she says, "I would focus on ensuring that all U.S. citizens, regardless of social and ethnic background, have equal environmental protection under the law, ensured access to adequate natural resources, and a healthy community with open space to raise their children."

For now, though, she's looking forward to her senior year and taking advantage of everything the new Dudley H. Davis Center has to offer. "We'll have all of the important facets of student life and student enrichment in one place this year," she says. "Of all the student centers I have seen, the Davis Center truly has the most student-centered atmosphere." Not only that, as president of the Student Government Association, "I have the best office on campus!"