There’s a new class of Truman and Udall Scholars for 2015, and three Yalies are among them.
Truman Scholars
Vivek Vishwanath ’16 and Ellie Dupler-McClintock ’16 are among 58 college students selected from 688 candidates to be 2015 Truman Scholars, one of the country’s most prestigious undergraduate scholarships.
The new Truman Scholars were chosen by independent selection panels on the basis of the finalists’ academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. The selection panels met across the United States and included distinguished public service leaders, elected officials, university presidents, federal judges, and past Truman Scholarship winners.
Vishwanath is majoring in the history of medicine. He is interested in global primary care reform, and domestic health insurance policies for undocumented immigrants. Currently, he is spending eight months in a rural area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, implementing a pilot community health worker program to expand HIV/TB health services. While at Yale, Vishwanath founded a development consulting group, interned at the Results for Development Institute, worked for the HAVEN Free Clinic, and conducted research on antimalarial efficacy. He hopes to pursue a Master of Public Health/M.D. degree and ultimately work to improve primary care affordability, access, and quality in the United States and abroad.
Dupler-McClintock is a first-generation college student and Quest Scholar who is interested in the field of international development as it pertains to disparities in global health and women’s rights. Over the past three years, she has worked in Uganda, Ghana, and Zambia on a variety of global health initiatives. Most recently she worked for USAID in Lusaka, where she helped monitor sites providing HIV/AIDS support services for commercial sex workers and survivors of gender-based violence. In 2014, Dupler-McClintock traveled to Chile, Jordan, and Nepal to study comparative human rights and conduct research on access to mental health services for domestic violence survivors. She hopes to pursue a career with the United Nations or the U.S. government relating to foreign policy and international women’s rights.
The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd president. 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 3,023 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards were announced in 1977.
Each 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, show outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, have an excellent academic record, and be committed to careers in government or the non-profit sector.
Udall Scholar
Mitchell Rose Bear Don’t Walk ’16 is the recipient of a Udall Scholarship and a Udall Native American Congressional Internship for this summer.
In 2015, the Udall Foundation awarded scholarships to 51 sophomores and juniors from 43 colleges and universities. The 2015 Udall Scholars were selected from among 464 candidates. Each scholarship provides up to $5,000 for the student’s junior or senior year. Since the first awards were presented in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 1,464 scholarships totaling over $7 million.
The Udall Foundation awards scholarships to college sophomores and juniors for leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to American Indian nations or to the environment. An independent review committee selected this year’s group of Udall Scholars on the basis of commitment to careers in the environment, American Indian health care, or tribal public policy; leadership potential; academic achievement; and record of public service. The review committee also awarded 49 honorable mentions.
The Udall scholarship honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, whose careers had a significant impact on American Indian self-governance, health care, and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.
This is the first time in recent years that a Yale student has won both a Udall Scholarship and a Native American Congressional Internship, and it is the second congressional internship won by a Yale student in two years.
A political science major, Rose Bear Don’t Walk won the Udall Scholarship for her leadership, public service, and commitment to issues related to American Indian nations. She is a member of the Blue Feather group recently profiled in YaleNews.
In addition, two Yale juniors were awarded honorable mention by the Udall Scholarship: William Tanner Allread, a history major; and Patrick Reed, who is double majoring in economics and environmental studies, who was awarded honorable mention in the environmental category.
