Three Baylor Students Named Truman Finalists

By Lexie Calvert
Marketing and Communications Specialist, Office of Engaged Learning

Three Baylor University juniors—Eliana Stromberg, Veronica Penales, and Isha Thapar—have been named finalists for the Truman Scholarship, announced this month by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Awarded each year to recognize college juniors who demonstrate leadership, academic excellence, and a commitment to public service, the Truman Scholarship honors the legacy of President Harry S. Truman and offers $30,000 for graduate study to one student from each state.

“It’s definitely a lengthy process to apply,” said Stromberg, a University Scholar from Littleton, CO, who plans to attend law school and work on issues of environmental justice within the Environmental Protection Agency or the US Department of Justice.

Students apply for the Truman Scholarship through their college or university, and institutions may nominate up to four students for the award. At Baylor, this year’s process began with an internal campus competition in which Stromberg, Penales, and Thapar were among 20 students bidding for Baylor’s endorsement. Once selected by Baylor, the applicants completed 14 short essay questions plus a formal policy proposal and also obtained three letters of recommendation and an endorsement letter from the University.

This year, 705 students nationwide submitted applications from 275 institutions. Of those, only 189 applicants were named finalists, representing 126 institutions. Baylor was one of only a few universities with three finalists, behind only Stanford, Harvard, Montana State, and Duke.

“We are immensely proud of this achievement,” said Dr. Andrew Hogue, associate dean in the College of Arts & Sciences and Baylor’s representative to the Truman Foundation. “Only once has Baylor been awarded three finalists, in 2007, and that year, each student was from Texas. We are thrilled this year to have finalists from three different states, meaning they are not competing against one another. It’s been a joy to watch these three brilliant women join forces to help ensure one another’s success.”

Truman finalists interview before a regional panel of public service leaders in early March, with decisions made later in the month. Known for its rigor, the Truman interview requires dedicated practice, and Baylor’s long legacy of Truman Scholars serves its three current finalists well. Baylor alumni Skye Perryman, John Hill, and Kristin Kan—Truman Scholars in 2002, 2003, and 2004, respectively—have offered their expertise by serving on Baylor’s Truman mock interview panels, working with all three finalists to sharpen their skills.

“When I was named a finalist, it was a huge sigh of relief,” said Penales, an International Studies and Professional Writing and Rhetoric major from Shreveport, LA, who hopes to attend law school at Georgetown. “But then, you have to jump right back in, reviewing your application, prepping for interviews, expecting the unexpected with interview questions, and showing how badly you want it.”

Thapar and Stromberg both plan to work in environmental justice and policy, and Penales plans to pursue a legal career focused on civil rights.

“I really wanted to apply for Truman because of its public service aspect,” said Thapar, a University Scholar who intends to do a joint MD/JD degree. “I’m interested in environmental health and want to pursue a career in environmental advocacy, and the mission of Truman to advocate for marginalized communities really spoke to me. So many Truman scholars today are uplifting and benefitting their communities, and that attracted me to the program.”

For Stromberg, the chance to have her graduate studies funded and to enter the network of Truman Scholars making change around the world were only part of the motivation to apply.

“Passion is my main motivator,” she said. “I had a really unique experience being exposed to injustice when I was in high school, and it set me on an unwavering path, motivating me to work in public service.”

According to Hogue, all three candidates are the kinds of change agents the Truman Scholarship is looking for.

“The world has been put on notice,” he said. “Veronica, Isha, and Eliana are three of the most impressive young people I have met, and they are not going to stand by and let injustice abide. There’s no doubt that the world is better because they are in it, and I’ve been deeply inspired by the depth of their commitments to human flourishing.”

Baylor students who seek a rich—even extraordinary—undergraduate education are supported by Baylor’s Office of Engaged Learning, which partners with students, in collaboration with faculty and staff throughout the University, to help them maximize their scholarship beyond the classroom. Students are supported as they apply and compete for prestigious fellowships, scholarships, internships, and research experiences at the national and international level, including the Fulbright, Rhodes, Marshall, Churchill, Boren, Goldwater, and other awards.