Drexel's 2017 Truman Scholar
April 13, 2017
Congratulations to Drexel's first Truman Scholar, Vincent O'Leary!
We are delighted to announce that Drexel junior Vincent O'Leary (BS Environmental Science '18, Honors) received the 2017 Truman Scholarship, a prestigious and highly-competitive national award that supports the graduate education and professional development of outstanding young people committed to careers in public service, including education and non-profit sectors.
Vincent is a fourth year environmental science major and is passionate about the intersection of the environment and society, especially using data to visualize and tell stories about the world around us. At Drexel, Vincent has worked with several groups at the Academy of Natural Sciences, most recently for his co-op with Steve Dilliplane. In this position Vincent helped to set the ground work for combining all the Academy's digital records into a single database for researchers to use. Through this work, Vincent came to appreciate the data management and archival side of research, and is now working with Dr. Ted Daeschler in the Department of Vertebrate Biology to digitize their collection of nearly 25,000 fossils. Through his research and experiences like the NOAA Hollings Scholarship, Vincent has become an advocate for communication in science, and hopes to continue sharing his interests with the public.
As a 2017 Truman Scholar, Vincent is one of just 62 students selected nationwide from a pool of 768 candidates nominated by 315 colleges and universities. These scholars were chosen by sixteen independent selection panels based on the finalists’ academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. Vincent will receive up to $30,000 for graduate study, as well as priority admission and supplemental funding at selected premier graduate institutions. Scholars also receive leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government, in addition to joining a powerful network of Truman Scholar alumni.
Vincent is the first Truman Scholar from Drexel University since the award was established. Huge congratulations, Vincent!
Official Truman Foundation Press Release
MADELEINE K. ALBRIGHT ANNOUNCES 2017 TRUMAN SCHOLARS
April 12, 2017, 5 pm; Washington, DC: Former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, President of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, announced today the names of 62 exceptional college students from 54 U.S. colleges and universities who have been selected as 2017 Truman Scholars. The Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States.
The Truman Foundation was created by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Truman and the Presidential Memorial to Public Service. The Foundation’s mission is premised on the belief that a better future relies on attracting to public service the commitment and sound judgment of bright, outstanding Americans. In fact, it was this belief that led President Truman, when approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, to encourage Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose rather than a bricks and mortar monument. For forty years, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled that mission: inspiring and supporting Americans from diverse backgrounds and from across the United States to public service.
The 62 new Truman Scholars, mostly college juniors, were selected from among 768 candidates nominated by 315 colleges and universities. They were chosen by sixteen independent selection panels based on the finalists’ academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders.
Selection panels met across the United States and included distinguished public service leaders, elected officials, university presidents, federal judges, and past Truman Scholarship winners. A listing of the new Scholars can be found at the Truman Foundation’s website:
http://www.truman.gov.
Each new Truman Scholar receives 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 U.S. citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be academically excellent, and be committed to careers in government or the non-profit sector.
There have been 3,139 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards were made in 1977. Prominent Truman Scholars include Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch (1987), U.S. Senator Chris Coons (1983), Missouri Governor Eric Greitens (1995), former National Security Advisor Susan Rice (1984), U.S. Congressman Ted Deutch (1986), New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (1981) and former Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano (1977). Truman Scholars lead at all levels of government and in the nonprofit sector.
The 2017 Truman Scholars will assemble May 23rd for a leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and they will receive their awards in a special ceremony at the
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, on May 28, 2017.
In 2017:
• Seven institutions have a Truman Scholar for the first time;
• Seven institutions have multiple Truman Scholars;
• Twenty-four Scholars attend public universities;
• Twenty-six Scholars attend private research universities
• Eleven Scholars attend private liberal arts colleges;
• One Scholar attends a military academy
For more information, please contact: Andrew Rich at 917.922.0843 or arich@truman.gov.
The Truman Scholarship is a highly prestigious national program that supports the graduate education and professional development of outstanding young people committed to careers in public service, including education and non-profit sectors. Since its creation in 1975, the Truman Scholarship Foundation has supported almost 3,000 Truman Scholars who are making a difference in all corners of the nation and around the globe.
To learn more about the Truman Scholarship and how to apply at Drexel, visit our Truman Scholarship page or email fellowships@drexel.edu!