WFU student named Truman Scholar
Wake Forest University junior Jessica Esther Posner of Madison, Wisc., is among a distinguished group of undergraduates nationwide who have been elected as 2000 Truman Scholars by the Washington-based Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Posner is one of 61 students from 49 colleges and universities named as scholars. The winners were selected from among 599 candidates nominated by 311 colleges and universities.
Established by Congress in 1975, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards merit-based $30,000 scholarships to college students who plan to pursue careers in government or other public service, and wish to attend graduate or professional school to help prepare for their careers. Each Truman Scholar receives $3,000 for the senior year of college and $27,000 for graduate studies.
Specific selection criteria include outstanding leadership potential, an established record of public and community service, intellectual strength, analytical ability and a commitment to a career in public service.
Posner, who is majoring in history with a minor in Latin American studies, plans to seek a master’s degree in public health with a focus on women’s reproductive health. She plans to work with a non-governmental organization that provides health services and/or community outreach in health education to women in developing countries. She would like to work in Latin America.
She has had extensive experience in international public service working as a translator for Hispanic women’s health clinics in Peru and working in a health clinic in Spain.
The 2000 Truman Scholars will attend a week-long leadership development program in Liberty, Mo., beginning May 21. The event will be capped by an awards ceremony at the Truman Library in Independence, Mo., on May 28.
Scholars also have the option of applying to participate in a 10-week Washington Summer Institute. Posner hopes to work with the Latin American bureau of the U. S. Agency for International Development’s Center for Population, Health and Nutrition.
Categories: Awards & Recognition, Experiential Learning, University Announcements
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