Two Yale juniors are among a distinguished group of undergraduates nationwide who have been elected as 1999 Truman Scholars by the Washington, D.C.-based Harry Truman Scholarship Foundation.
Dalia Hochman of Lexington, Mass., and Kimberly Jones of New Haven, Conn., are among 65 students from 56 U.S. colleges and universities to have been selected as 1999 Truman Scholars. They were elected by 19 independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability, and likelihood of “making a difference.” The scholars were selected from among 657 candidates nominated by 332 colleges and universities.
With a double major of history and teacher preparation and a good deal of teaching experience already under her belt, Yale junior Dalia Hochman intends to use her Truman scholarship to advance a career in education policy and reform. In the meantime she will use another scholarship awarded by her college to pursue research in “history under Apartheid” in South Africa this summer.
New Haven native Kimberly Jones will use her scholarship to help finance her law school education after she graduates from Yale in 2000. With the ambition of working as an attorney in a public capacity, she also plans to get a master’s degree in public policy.
Established by Congress in 1975, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards provide up to $30,000 to help cover tuition and other expenses for a maximum of four years of undergraduate and graduate study. Each Truman Scholar receives $3,000 for the senior year of college and between $9,000 and $13,500 per year for up to three years of graduate education leading to a career in government.
Selection criteria include possessing outstanding leadership potential and an established record of public and community service; a desire to influence public policies; intellectual strength, communication skills, and analytical abilities; and a commitment to a career in government or elsewhere in the public sector.
The 1999 Truman Scholarship recipients will assemble May 23 for a week-long leadership development program at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and receive their awards in a special ceremony at The Elms Resort and Spa in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, on May 30, 1999.
