2009 Truman Scholars Announced

Three Women’s College Students Among Scholars
March 26, 2009
Madeleine K. Albright, president of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, announced that 60 students from 55 US colleges and universities have been selected as 2009 Truman Scholars. They were elected by seventeen independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of “making a difference.”

The 60 Scholars were selected from among 601 candidates nominated by 289 colleges and universities. Each selection panel interviewed Finalists from a 3 - 4 state region and generally elected one Scholar from each state and one at-large Scholar from the region. Each panel typically included a university president, a federal judge, a distinguished public servant, and a past Truman Scholarship winner.

Each Scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate study. Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government. Recipients must be US citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class, and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.

The 2009 Truman Scholars include:

Racquel was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She is an Urban Studies major with a concentration in Urban Education at Wellesley College. Racquel is passionate about issues concerning education reform and community development. In 2004 Racquel started Unity Enterprises, a non-profit that organizes community driven programs to battle issues related to poverty, crime and education disparities in the Cleveland area. She has served as a Youth Organizer for the City of Cleveland Mayor's Youth Council. In her spare time, Racquel enjoys writing and performing spoken word poetry. Her career goal is urban education. She plans to pursue a master’s in education and a Ph.D.

Meg Beyer is a Women’s Studies, Sociology and Anthropology major with a minor in History. She is the President of the Student Government Association and a member of the American Association of University Women’s National Student Advisory Council. Meg is active in sex trafficking prevention and LGBTQ issues in Atlanta and volunteers remotely for the National Organization for Women’s Washington, DC office. She also dabbles in amateur balloon architecture. Her career goal is human and civil rights law. She plans to pursue a J.D. (See related story about Meg here.)

Jennie studies Environmental Justice in the Peace and Justice program at Wellesley College, where she is focusing on climate change mitigation and adaptation. She started a sustainable living co-op on the Wellesley Campus, is an active member of the Sierra Student Coalition, and currently serves as Coordinator for the Agents of Change program with the organization SustainUS. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and eating fresh local produce, as well as doing anything outdoors. Her career goal is environmental planning and policy. She plans to pursue a master’s in Urban Planning and Policy.

Previous Truman Scholars:

2008

Aysha was born and raised in St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands. She was a Political Science and Africana Studies double major at Wellesley College. She is passionate about politics and law having interned for Congresswoman Donna M. Christensen, Senator Shawn-Michael Malone, and the AIDS Legal Referral Panel in San Francisco. She aspires to earn her M.P.P. / J.D. so that she can return home to the Virgin Islands and write the policies that will have a positive impact on her community.

Amanda studied English and earned certification in Elementary Education at Barnard College. Her interests in media arts, community building and education converged when she began work with Media Power Youth, Inc., a Media Literacy advocacy and development organization in her hometown of Manchester, NH. She continues to be dedicated to Media Literacy development. She enjoys live music in New York City and time spent with family on the New Hampshire seacoast.

Emily was a Biology/Environmental Studies major at Bryn Mawr College with a minor in Economics. As a long time activist, she hopes to continue her passion for environmental justice and the ideals of sustainability through a career in environmental law and policy. She interned for PA Governor Ed Rendell under his environmental policy analysts, getting a feel for the political ropes. In her free time she enjoys piano, vegan cooking and rousing debates.

Moriah was a Gender Studies major, Psychology minor at Mount Holyoke College, and also earned a certificate in Culture, Health and Science. Moriah has a passion for women’s reproductive health and rights, focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention. She founded and chaired her college’s chapter of Student Global AIDS Campaign under which she organized Global AIDS Awareness Week. Moriah has spent time in Tanzania working at an HIV/AIDS hospice and studied abroad in Uganda. She is a certified rape crisis counselor, which she continued during her time in Uganda. She hopes to one day open a women’s health clinic in East Africa and become fluent in Swahili. She loves good food, travel, contagious laughter, and her dogs.

Originally from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, Maile Yeats was a double major in linguistics/cognitive science and Spanish at Scripps College. As a ROTC cadet, Maile spent her summers attending Airborne School and working with the Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Testing Directorate, a U.S. Army Military Intelligence unit. Maile hopes to pursue a career in defense policy after earning a Master's in public administration/international development with an emphasis in conflict resolution.

2007

Tiffany Shumate graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in Psychology and Educational Studies. Her research interests are education reform movements and African-centered schooling in Philadelphia. She has worked with students in Ghana, Rwanda, and Philadelphia on issues surrounding identity formation and its role in educational settings, and was a Fellow with the Center for the Study of Social Policy. Her long-term goals include earning an Ed.D. in Urban Education and serving as a high school principal. She enjoys traveling, reading, and creative writing.