(Above: Sociology Major and Truman Foundation Scholarship recipient, Isaac Seiler)
Q: First of all, congratulations on receiving the Truman Foundation scholarship! Would you be able to talk a bit more about what the scholarship entails?
A: So, the Truman scholarship is a competitive scholarship for students who have demonstrated interest in doing public service work. You get a number of things with the scholarship, including $30,000 to pursue graduate education (which is sometimes matched depending on the institution you choose to attend), a leadership retreat with my cohort of scholarship recipients, and the opportunity to live in Washington, DC this upcoming summer with the cohort to do public service work.
Q: How has the Sociology Department helped you during your time at WashU, as well as with this scholarship?
A: Currently I am conducting research with Sociology Professor [Caity] Collins, and I also had the opportunity to be a TA for her class, which helped me realize what I am interested in doing. I was then able to talk about these things in my interviews for the Truman scholarship. Without WashU, I wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to apply to the scholarship because I wouldn’t have known about it.
Q: How did you feel when receiving the scholarship?
A: It was definitely unexpected, especially because I had felt like my interviews for the scholarship hadn’t really gone amazingly, they asked some questions that I wasn’t prepared for and things like that. Then, Chancellor Martin came into my [Introduction to Research Methods] class with Professor [Cynthia] Feliciano to congratulate me too - which was definitely unexpected.
Q: Do you have any final thoughts about the Truman Foundation scholarship?
A: I would say that it has been a pleasant surprise how tight-knit the community, and my cohort is, like from when we all met each other at the leadership retreat last April, and now I expect us to get even closer since we will all be living together this summer. I think that this is something that is pretty unique to this scholarship. I would also encourage WashU students to apply for it, because there is a lot of support here for students who are interested in applying for scholarships. It is definitely one of those things where you miss all of the shots you don’t take, so I would say that students should put themselves out there and go for it.
