W&L’s Tyler Bernard ’23 Awarded Udall Scholarship Bernard has been selected as a 2022 Udall Scholar in the environmental category.

By Connie Okeke '23
May 26, 2022

Washington and Lee University junior Tyler Bernard ’23 has been selected as a 2022 Udall Scholar in the environmental category. At W&L, Bernard is double majoring in philosophy and environmental studies with an emphasis in conservation biology. Bernard is a native of Short Hills, New Jersey, and he graduated from Millburn High School.

The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on Native American self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.

This year’s class of Udall Scholars was selected from 382 candidates nominated by 181 colleges and universities. Bernard was one of the 55 students chosen for this scholarship.

“It’s a huge honor, and it feels great to have my effort recognized,” said Bernard. “I hope this award lets me contribute in even a minor way to some of the challenges confronting us. I truly can’t express how lucky I feel to have been selected.”

The scholarship grants $7,000 for academic study. For Bernard, this award will help fund his graduate study.

“I plan to apply to graduate programs in ecology. I’m interested in participating in a program that lets me continue to think about environmental issues in an interdisciplinary fashion,” Bernard said.

The Udall Foundation will also pay for the scholars’ transportation and accommodation for the annual Udall Scholar Orientation in Tucson, Arizona, in August. During this orientation, Bernard and the scholars will have the opportunity to meet one another and connect with program alumni and community leaders in environmental, Tribal health care and governance fields.

On campus, Bernard is an active volunteer at the Campus Kitchen and serves on their leadership team. He recently attended a service-learning program in Costa Rica. He also works as editor-in-chief for the Mudd Journal of Ethics and plays on the W&L men’s varsity soccer team.

“I met Tyler the winter semester of his freshman year,” said Jeffery Kosky, professor of religion at W&L. “He is a rare student, concentrating his studies in philosophy and biology while also pursuing projects in creative writing and his journals. He understands the books as well as the world. He sees the world through the books and reads the books through the world. I am lucky to have the chance to work with him.”

This summer, Bernard will work on his honors thesis with W&L religion professor Jeffrey Kosky. He will also participate in a Research Experiences for Undergraduates interdisciplinary program on wetland ecology with the National Science Foundation at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

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