Hubbard scholarships awarded at USU
Two students are recipients of 2008-09 Hubbard Family Scholarships at Utah State University: Corey (C.D.) Clawson, a senior majoring in English, literary studies, from Providence, Utah, and Natalie Watkins, a junior landscape architecture and environmental planning major, from Salt Lake City, Utah. Clawson and Watkins were selected from the 11 students who applied for the Hubbard honors.
The scholarship was created in memory of Grant Hubbard Redford and Gwennie Hubbard Redford by Ralph Hubbard Redford and Lora Bryning Redford to support students who show the promise of becoming the next May Swenson or Rick Bass. That is, the scholarship goes to students who are outstanding juniors and seniors at USU who demonstrate deep, abiding interest in the environment together with creative writing talent. The scholarship is administered by the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at Utah State, but is open to all upper division students at the university.
“The support of the Hubbard family has continually encouraged the development of student interest in the environment and writing about the natural world,” said Ed Glatfelter, HASS associate dean. “There were a number of very good applicants this year. We are pleased that is was possible to support these two outstanding students.”
Scholarship recipient Clawson said that as a Cache Valley native, some of his earliest memories are of feeding the cows on his grandfather’s farm, hiking in Logan Canyon and hanging out at the county fair.
“Only now do I realize the impact that my surroundings – the rural and natural atmosphere of Cache Valley – have had upon my life,” he said.
Clawson is a year from completing his degree in literary studies at USU with minors in Portuguese, Latin American Studies and British and Commonwealth Studies.
“As a result of my research experiences at USU and some time in Brazil, I have come to realize the importance of the environment upon everyday people around the world,” Clawson said. “My passion for creative and academic writing has led me to examine those ideas more closely.”
For his honors thesis, Clawson is investigating the impact the culture and atmosphere of rural Brazil and Nova Scotia had upon the poet Elizabeth Bishop. He will travel to Nova Scotia this summer to research the topic more fully.
“This project, in addition to my poetry, has helped me to understand the importance of rural life and the natural landscape in my own experience,” he said. “For this reason, I am committed to the preservation of this atmosphere for future generations and will continue writing about the environment creatively and academically as I pursue a career in higher education.”
Clawson grew up in Providence and is the son of Shyrl and Raeleene Clawson.
Scholarship recipient Watkins said a youthful curiosity about the outdoor scene and a disposition to be in it has aged into a passion for environmental understanding and concern.
“This passion and a diverse background have led me to the field of landscape architecture and environmental planning,” Watkins said. “The political, environmental, social and artistic sides of this study intrigue and challenge me and inspire new ways of thinking.”
Watkins said education has been important to her development.
“I can see how education has revealed the subtle beauties of music, literature and natural ecosystems in my life,” she said. “I feel that I have been defined by the education I have received from my youngest days, and I will continue to be influenced by it for a lifetime.”
Watkins said her career goal is to be involved in creating sustainable land development pattern that will help create a more energy-efficient and environmentally conscious society. This summer she will get a start at this effort from the bottom up. She will work as a water-wise landscape designer to help people understand changes they need to make to further the cause.
Watkins is the daughter of Glen R. Watkins and Maurine Plowman Watkins of Salt Lake City, Utah.
The students were selected as Hubbard scholarship recipients for their interest and ability in creative writing, including the areas of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. Candidates submit portfolios for review by a scholarship selection committee prior to the award. This year’s recipients will each received a $3,000 scholarship to be used next academic year.
For information on the Hubbard Scholarships, contact USU’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at (435) 797-1195.