Two of the U’s best and brightest students have been chosen by the Hinckley Institute of Politics as finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, an elite and highly competitive national scholarship that selects only one junior per state for a $30,000 award for graduate school.
Nominees Rachel Barnes, a biology and political science major, and Brian Corry, an information systems and international studies major, and one other student from Utah State were chosen from 629 applications across 293 universities and colleges.
The Hinckley Institute cultivates students who are committed and passionate for public service, said Courtney McBeth, assistant director of the Hinckley Institute. The institute is an independent organization that provides opportunities such as internships and publications for students who are passionate about specific topics, she said.
McBeth works closely with students through the application process, which is roughly a two-year process. She and other faculty working with the Truman Scholarship interviewed 10 students among the hundreds that the Hinckley Institute cultivates.
Barnes didn’t become involved with the institute until October 2012 when she was a junior. Usually the institute works with freshmen and sophomores to develop their application, so it has been an intense process, Barnes said. She interned with the Reproductive and Child Health Alliance in Cambodia over the summer.
“It was absolutely eye-opening,” she said. “I worked with native Cambodia health care workers and got to see how their system worked compared to ours. Our way isn’t always the right way.”
She helped with a Cesarean-section birth on an ordinary table, unsanitary room and no medical scrubs. Their level of sanitation is poor, and education for health care workers is low, she said.
“I mostly did grant research and created a curriculum that allowed villagers who couldn’t read or write to communicate what they thought of their health care system,” she said.
Barnes and Corry will be traveling to Arizona State for their final interview for the Truman Scholarship. McBeth said the U has had six consecutive years of Truman scholars.
“No other school in the nation has that record. We would like it to be seven this year,” she said.
Students nominated for the Truman Scholarship must maintain a 3.7 GPA and show a specific passion through public service, internships and volunteer work.
“The scholarship is a huge honor. Some of our best schools, like Harvard and Cambridge, fight over Truman Scholars,” McBeth said.
She said Barnes’ wide and deep knowledge of health care made her a highly eligible candidate for the scholarship.