Alumni Paid it Forward​

Sue and Todd Ringoen

The URDS Impact Fund had an initial goal of $20,000. But within just one month, the goal had been reached and exceeded, mainly due to a $10,000 matching gift from 1984 Lundquist College of Business alumni Todd and Sue Ringoen. Sue, who earned her bachelor’s in accounting, had participated in the internal review committee for the UO national distinguished scholarships.

“I was blown away by the intellect and insight of these students and wanted to help in any way I could.”

Todd, who earned his bachelor’s in finance, has also been involved with student networking activities and served for six years on the University of Oregon Alumni Board, stepping down from the role last fall:

“When we heard about the URDS Impact Fund, it just made sense for us to give. We understand the financial struggles that students face, especially those who have been underserved. Our stories are similar. We wanted to pay it forward and help build a better and more inclusive experience for students.”

Advancing Equitable Access

When the DuckFunder campaign ended, over $22,000 dollars had been raised for the URDS Impact Fund. But fundraising for the Impact Fund has not ended. Hatfield expresses his deep gratitude to all the donors who have generously gifted to the DuckFunder and the URDS program. He also stresses the importance of continued support for the Impact Fund.

Luda Isakharov, BA ’24 (political science, global studies, Russian)
2023 Truman Scholar

UO Student Body President Luda Isakharov wasn’t intimidated by the hard work needed to complete the application materials for the Harry S.Truman Scholarship.* She had worked hard her entire life. In her three years at the University of Oregon, she served in student government as a senator, executive cabinet secretary, and recently as student body president.

In the summer of 2021, she worked with Boost Oregon to increase public awareness and education of the COVID-19 vaccine specifically for the Russian-speaking Oregon communities. She is also a Wayne Morse Scholar, interning at the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics for over two years.

What did concern her and the other Truman finalist - Student Body Vice President Kavi Shrestha - were the financial costs related to the Truman Scholar application and the in-person interview event in Seattle. This would mean air fare, lodging, and food costs. Money that Isakharov and Shrestha didn’t have and did not know if they could raise in time. This became a barrier to entry that needed to be quickly addressed. Why apply if you know you cannot attend a vital part of the process?​ She shared,

“The time span between the announcement of becoming a finalist and the actual interview was very short, and I had very little time to figure out my finances and how to make it work. If I had to invest hundreds of dollars of my family’s money, I don’t think I would have gone because it would have been a burden on my family. Prior to being able to go to Seattle, I thought my chances of becoming a Truman Scholar were very low.”

Hatfield knew that many students faced the same barriers to scholarship application, times when the gaps in resources can limit even the brightest students from reaching for the stars.​.

“While many distinguished scholarship foundations continue to offer a remote interview option for students unable to travel to national finalist interview sites, these students incur the disadvantage of missing the full, multi-day, in-person experience. We wanted to assure that Ducks were on an equal footing with their peers in these national and international competitions.”

Hatfield added:

“The URDS Impact Fund ensured that Kavi and Luda participated in the on-site social, networking, and developmental engagements and meals with peers, panelists, and scholarship representatives. They both reflected on how ‘being present’ strengthened their interview preparation and performance, and how their informal conversations, extemporaneous interactions, and shared experience with fellow candidates fostered lasting connections.”

In fact, just months after Luda didn’t think she had any real chance, she was selected to represent the state of Oregon as a 2023 Truman Scholar.

The Office of Distinguished Scholarships also wishes to acknowledge UO alumni Sue Ringoen, Andrew Lubash (2014 Truman Scholar), Sravya Tadepalli (2021 Truman Scholar), Professor Casey Shoop, and Kimberly Koops Wrabek for their support of the UO Truman Scholarship endorsement process.

* Every year, the Harry S. Truman Foundation awards prestigious scholarships to roughly 60 college students across the country who have demonstrated leadership in public service. The awards provide students with up to $30,000 in funding for graduate study in a field of their choosing in pursuit of a career serving the public. Around 200 students are generally selected as finalists.

Ashia Grae Wolf Wilson, BA ’24 (environmental studies)
Protecting Tribal Waters & Tribal Youth

In 2024, when the largest dam removal in history ends, the project should set free an important coastal river for salmon and reopen 400 miles of habitat. A group of Indigenous youth hope to become the first people to kayak with the first generation of the recently spawned salmon in the restored Klamath River along the Oregon/California border. Ashia Grae Wolf Wilson has been educating these youth not only on kayaking skills, but also their river stewardship. Wilson, pursuing an environmental studies major and a double minor in legal studies and Native American and Indigenous studies, is a Klamath Tribal member and co-founder of the tribal youth leadership council.

With the aid she received from the Impact Fund, Wilson planned and hosted "Paddle Tribal Waters," a three-day conference meant to “gather tribal/indigenous youth and develop their river stewardship knowledge and skills by providing opportunities to get on the water (kayaking, rafting) with intentional conversations focusing on a variety of topics from Outdoor Education to Native and Indigenous Studies, Environmental Sciences, Natives Outdoors, and Water Law/Policy.”

Wilson has conducted research at the University of Oregon Special Collections and the National Archives in Seattle, Washington. She was a winner of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship award in 2021 and graduated high school at age sixteen with a full-ride scholarship to the UO from the Ford Family Foundation.

As an organizer for Klamath Riverkeeper, Ashia developed an upper-Klamath Basin educational tour, a curriculum for youth advocates, and helped co-organize public events. Wilson is also the program director for the Rios to Rivers planning exchange program, and founded a Kayak Club in Chiloquin, Oregon.

Nayantara Arora, BS ’24 (neuroscience)
2023 Phi Beta Kappa Key Scholar

Nayantara Arora, a Clark Honors College senior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry and global health, was recently awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service Scholarship for 2023. ​  ​The URDS Impact Fund paid Arora’s Phi Betta Kappa membership fees.

Arora has a long list of accomplishments. She studied abroad in Accra, Ghana, as a Madina Polyclinic intern in the Global Health and Service-Learning Program. She was a Student Fellow at the Oxford (England) Consortium for Human Rights and has also interned at the U.S. Department of State.

In high school she was a co-founder and president of Youth Advocates for Immigrants and Refugees and producer of a podcast dedicated to uplifting immigrant/refugee youth stories.

“We decided to create a podcast in which we basically host immigrant and refugee students and have them share stories or a series of vignettes about their lives,” Arora said in an interview for a Clark Honors College Student Spotlight article. “We’re giving them a platform to talk and reflect on their identity.”

On campus, Arora is involved with the Students for Global Health Club, the South Asian Cultural Alliance, and the Student Health Advisory Committee. She hopes to combine research, policy, and practice to improve medical systems so disadvantaged communities can receive better health care.