Major: Civil Engineering
Hometown: Born on an Osage reservation in Pawhuska,
Okla., but at the age of 3 moved to Shawnee, Kan.,
High School: Shawnee Mission Northwest High
School
Expected KU graduation date: 2008
The affordability of a KU degree, the family tradition and the appeal of Lawrence as a college town were quite tempting. But programs at other top schools in the nation were attractive as well. When it came down to the final decision between the University of California-Berkley, Stanford University and the University of Kansas, it was the atmosphere at KU that convinced Studie he had found his home for the next four years.
Studie was already impressed by where the university was going when he learned that the National Science Foundation awarded it a $17 million, 5-year grant to develop environmentally friendly chemical processes that are economically viable for the industry. For Studie, a potential chemical engineering major at the time, "that made KU make more sense."
In high school, Studie focused on his classes and wrestling. Upon entering college, he was determined to become more involved and before long Studie, "pretty much dove into it."
He started out as a member of First Nation Student Association, FSNA, a small organization that promotes Native American culture and addresses related issues. Eventually, members appointed Studie for FSNA's seat in Student Senate and his branching of involvement progressed on from that point.
Since then, Studie has served on the Student Environmental Advisory Board, the Multicultural Affairs Committee, associate vice provost search committee, and was elected as a student senator. He even made the decision to run for student body president in spring 2006 with Delta Force, a student political organization that ran on the platform "Just. Action." in the election.
"I did it because I knew it would be a great experience and that I could learn a whole lot out of it." He fell just short of winning by receiving 47 percent of the student vote, the most that Delta Force had received since 2001. Even with the loss, Studie felt the campaign was a great opportunity "to raise awareness to the student body about important issues."
Through his numerous extracurricular commitments, especially during campaign time, he quickly learned how to play the game of sacrifice. Studie recalls that free time and a social life were the first to go and at times even schoolwork became a challenge.
Studie was extremely pleased in the amount of support that the School of Engineering provides for students whether it is "through career services, funding their own student organizations, computing services or maintaining their own library." He found the School of Engineering was "big enough that it can have all of these self-sustaining features, yet small enough for students to receive personal attention."
When asked where he sees himself in five years, Studie at first jokes that he hopes to be spotted hiking the Appalachian Trail, but adds that he would like to work for a company that shares his commitment to upholding social and ethical responsibility for the environment. With an internship at Camp Dresser McKee, CDM, a civil engineering firm located in Wichita, Kan., where he will work on waste-water plant projects, Studie is well on his way to achieving these goals.
Studie's tidbit of advice: "Just because you don't know how to do something or what something is about doesn't mean that you can't just dive in and get involved. I learned so much about the university, so quickly by doing just that."
