Student receives esteemed $30,000 Truman Scholarship

This past week, junior Sarah McCauley, a political science major, was selected to receive a $30,000 Truman Scholarship from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. The prestigious scholarship was awarded to 64 scholars chosen from 600 candidates. \n"I was shocked," the junior from Panama City, Fla. said, describing her reaction to the news of the selection. Following the initial interview, which McCauley described as being "like nothing I have ever experienced," she was surprised to be called back later the same day for a brief second interview. Disappointed about the second interview, McCauley had doubts about her chances of being selected. \n"I hadn't written it off but I certainly didn't have my hopes up," she said. \nThe Truman Scholarship is awarded to college juniors pursuing a career in public service on the basis of the candidates' academic and leadership merits and their potential to become "change agents" for public institutions. The $30,000 grant includes $3,000 for senior expenses and $27,000 to be appropriated for graduate study in a variety of public-oriented fields. \nMcCauley's accomplishments elicited praise from IU President Myles Brand, as he notified her of the selection. \n"Your commitment to leadership and public service is inspiring. We are honored by your achievements and wish you all the best as you continue to pursue your goals," Brand said in a recent press release.\nMcCauley, who has been studying in Oxford for the past year, plans to enter law school to study public interest law. She has always been interested in politics and aspires to pursue a political career, a move that her father, Carroll McCauley, believes suits McCauley, the youngest of seven daughters, perfectly. \n"It is clear that she is well-suited for a career in public service and will follow through with this. She will have the skills to practice law in a number of areas but she is bound to affect the lives of other people in a positive way," he said.\nAlthough he faintly chuckled as he began addressing Sarah's ambition of becoming president, he said it's a possibility that's certainly not out of the question. \n"She really wants to hold public office and she is an excellent public speaker who is as comfortable in front of 10,000 people as she is with 10. Her character and reputation are impeccable and in public life scrutiny is now at its highest degree," he said.\nAs a recipient, McCauley will attend the Truman Scholars Leadership Week at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., near President Harry Truman's hometown of Independence. During this intense week, scholars will participate in activities designed to prepare them for a life in public service. Truman scholars are also eligible to participate in 10-week public service internships in Washington, D.C., during the summer, which in the past have included jobs at the White House, Capitol Hill and the Department of Justice. \nIn receiving the Truman award, McCauley joins a long lineage of recipients from IU. Since the inception of the prestigious scholarship in 1977, IU has produced 16 Truman Scholars.