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Messiah
College student awarded
prestigious Truman Scholarship
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Truman
Scholar
Jamie Davies
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GRANTHAM, Pa. (April 29, 2004) — Messiah College junior politics
major Jamie Davies is one of 77 U.S. college students to win the 2004
Truman Scholarship in public service, announced Madeleine K. Albright,
president of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. The scholars
were selected by 20 independent selection panels from among 609 candidates
nominated by 300 colleges and universities on the basis of leadership
potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of “making a difference.”
“Winning the Truman Scholarship has been both an amazing honor and
an unexpected adventure,” says Davies. “The process has forced
me to explore and define my career objectives, giving me both the confidence
and motivation I need to further my education and eventually fight for
social change.”
The Truman Scholarship is a $26,000 merit-based grant awarded to undergraduate
students with outstanding academic records to attend graduate or professional
school in preparation for careers in government, the non-profit sector
or elsewhere in public service. The scholars receive $2,000 for their
senior year of undergraduate schooling and $24,000 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. Some
of the other colleges and universities with students receiving Truman
Scholarships this year include Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Stanford University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Georgetown
University, Duke University, Yale University and the University of Virginia.
Davies, who addressed the importance and need to increase publicly-funded
childcare in U.S. welfare reform policy for her Truman application, is
Messiah College’s first Truman Scholar. She collaborated with Messiah
College faculty member John Harles, chair of the department of politics,
to co-author her policy paper on comparative welfare reform in the United
States and Canada and to complete her application and prepare for a challenging
personal interview.
“It’s one of the most prestigious awards offered to undergraduates
in America,” says Harles of the Truman Scholarship. “What makes
Jamie suited for the award is that she’s extraordinarily bright and
socially involved, but she's also tough-minded. I'm very proud of her
accomplishment.”
Davies, of Mansfield, Ohio, recognized her commitment to fight for the
well-being of children after tutoring inner-city kids at a women’s
hostel last spring. Last fall, she taught a course on health to middle
school students as part of a national welfare reform project. Her co-authored
paper on comparative welfare reform in the United States and Canada will
be published soon. Davies’ interest in Canada is cause and effect
of a summer internship in the Public Affairs Division of the Canadian
Embassy in Washington.
This summer, Davies plans to do an internship at the International Labour
Organization (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland. She will work in a division
known as the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour
(IPEC), which works for the progressive elimination of child labour worldwide.
After graduation in May 2005, her plans are to intern in Washington, D.C.,
most likely in the Department of Health and Human Services. In the fall
of 2005 she plans to enroll in a graduate program for public policy and/or
international relations, possibly launching straight into a doctoral program.
Her goal is to eventually work in policy-making, public administration,
or research on the international level with the hope of fighting for the
welfare of children worldwide.
The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by U.S. Congress in
1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd President of the United States.
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 2,330 Truman Scholars elected
since the first awards were made in 1977.
The 2004 Truman Scholars will assemble May 16 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 23. For a listing of the 2004 Scholars and more information
on the foundation, see www.truman.gov.
Messiah College, a private Christian college of the liberal and applied
arts and sciences, enrolls more than 2,900 undergraduate students in 60
majors. Established in 1909, the primary campus is located in Grantham,
Pa., near the state capital of Harrisburg. A satellite campus affiliated
with Temple University is located in Philadelphia.
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ARTICLE
DATE: THURSDAY,
APRIL 29, 2004
ARTICLE NUMBER:
MC-088-04
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