Monday, April 18, 2005

Emily White, a 2002 graduate of Episcopal High School, has been named a 2005 Truman Scholar.

Emily was among 75 students from 65 colleges and universities named as Truman Scholars in an announcement by Dr. Madeleine K. Albright, president of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. They were elected by 19 independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of “making a difference.”

The 75 Scholars were selected from among 602 candidates nominated by 299 colleges and universities. Each selection panel interviewed Finalists from a 3 - 4 state region and generally elected one Scholar from each state and one or two at-large Scholars from the region. Each panel typically included a university president, a federal judge, a distinguished public servant and a past Truman Scholarship winner.

Emily is currently studying International Relations and Russian at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland for the semester. Otherwise she attends Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., where she intends to double major in Politics and Russian Area Studies. In her spare time, Emily enjoys acting in campus theater productions and volunteering at local elementary and middle schools. After attending law school, she plans to focus on ways to improve the United States' nuclear nonproliferation efforts, especially within the former Soviet Union.

Each Scholarship provides $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 U.S. 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 Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to our 33rd president. The Foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. The activities of the Foundation are supported by a special trust fund in the U.S. Treasury. There have been 2,405 Truman Scholars elected since the first awards were made in 1977.

The 2005 Truman Scholars will assemble May 15 for a week-long leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., and receive their awards in a special ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., on May 22.

W&L Junior Wins Prestigious Truman Scholarship Lexington, VA — Washington and Lee University junior Emily White has been awarded a 2005 Truman Scholarship, one of the most prestigious fellowships available to college juniors. (http://news.wlu.edu/news/page/normal/1216.html)

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation (http://www.truman.gov/)