Hubbard Family Scholarships Awarded at Utah State University

Two students have received 2009-2010 Hubbard Family Scholarships at Utah State University, Zachary Maughan, a senior from Providence majoring in American Studies and German, and Julie Sheen, a junior from North Logan majoring in English education and minoring in history, with an associate of science certificate in horticulture. Maughan and Sheen were selected from a field of 12 applicants.

The Hubbard Family 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. In other words, 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 Hubbard family’s support encourages students to take an interest in the natural world around them and to write effectively about it,” said College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Interim Associate Dean Jeannie Thomas. “It is always difficult to select from so many promising students, but we feel these two students are highly deserving.”

 

Scholarship recipient Maughan has worked for the Forest Service every summer since 2001, building and re-routing trails in the Cache-Wasatch National Forest.

 

“These places have left deep impressions of the natural world within me,” he wrote in his scholarship application. “Such impressions have instilled within me a need and desire to keep these places as pristine as possible, while also allowing others to experience and enjoy these stunning canyons and trails.”

 

His final essay for a creative nonfiction writing class is on Logan Canyon, Providence orchards and the current state of the economy. He has also written about the meaning of place in relation to wild land firefighting. He hopes to become a teacher.

 

Maughan is the son of is the son of Clark Maughan of Logan and Elizabeth Maughan of Providence.

 

Sheen cites a class in the literature of ecology as a turning point in her life.

 

“It was through studying the works of these (nature) writers that my then budding interest in the environment turned into what is now a passion for nature and sustainability,” she wrote in her application letter. “Their careful crafting of language taught me of the powerful new ideas about living that can come from turning purposeful experiences in nature into beautiful and compelling literature.”

 

Since that class, she has turned her mother’s back yard into an extensive garden. She works at the USU Student Organic Farm and started the USU Beekeeping Club. She hopes to use her skill as a writer to share her passion for sustainable agriculture with others.

 

Sheen is the daughter of Jay and Debbie Sheen, West Jordan, Utah.

 

Maughan and Sheen were selected as Hubbard scholarship recipients for their interest and ability in creative writing, including the areas of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. Candidates submit portfolios for review by a scholarship selection committee prior to the award. This year’s recipients will each receive a $3,000 scholarship to be used for the 2009-10 academic year.

 

For information on the Hubbard Scholarships, contact USU’s College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at (435) 797-1195.