Each year, universities may nominate up to four juniors to compete in the prestigious Truman Scholarship competition for high-achieving students dedicated to careers in public service. For more information about UConn’s nomination process and the scholarship itself, click HERE. Nominees are selected for their strong academic records, demonstrated commitment to public service and exceptional leadership skills. Also vital is the support of faculty mentors and professionals in their chosen fields. This year’s nominees will have until February 4, 2014 to complete the national application. Finalists will then be invited to a regional interview in March, with results to follow. Good luck to all!
Melissa Beth Lovitz (CLAS: Human Development and Family Studies & MPA Fast-Track ‘15), an honors student and New England Scholar from Westford, MA, has deep roots in public service, having spent a “gap year” before college as a City Year Corps Member in Washington D.C. There she witnessed the problems of access to quality education and income disparity and has since been devoted to unravelling the complexity of education policy, economics and family engagement. Melissa spent the spring of her sophomore year in Cape Town, South Africa, where she interned at City Mission Educational Services and volunteered at the Cape Town Holocaust Center. She has also spent time in Uganda as an American Jewish World Service Volunteer, is an active member of UConn Hillel and a frequent Hebrew teacher at Temple Beth El in West Hartford, CT. Currently a research assistant for the Neag School of Educational Leadership, she has also been a teaching assistant for BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) in Boston. Melissa is 1st Vice President of Service for UConn’s chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national community service fraternity, and is a UConn Husky Ambassador and City Year Campus Ambassador. Tireless, she is also a member of the UConn Marching Band and can be found working at the UConn Student Union Market Café.
Natalie Holt Vieira (CANR: Resource Economics ’15) is an honors student from Wolcott, CT who plans to study public policy and environmental law in order to advocate for effective environmental policies. Natalie spent a semester interning for Senator Christopher Murphy in Washington D.C. and has since been serving as the lead intern for the CT League of Conservation Voters. She is the appointed Undergraduate Representative to UConn’s Environmental Policy Advisory Council and is an active member of EcoHusky. Natalie is also committed to serving the homeless and displaced populations. She is a regular volunteer at the local Holy Family Shelter and is calling for new environmental refugee status for individuals displaced by the effects of climate change. Ultimately, she aspires to work with the Disasters and Conflicts Sub-Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where she would address resource management and sustainability issues in conflict areas around the world. Natalie is the recipient of a Walt Disney Foundation Scholarship as well as an ARE Russell Palen Fund Scholarship, a CANR Smyrski Farm Scholarship and a UConn Academic Excellence Scholarship. This fall she was the keynote speaker at the UConn Honors Ceremony for recipients of the Sophomore Certificate and other awards.
Sarah Purtill (CLAS: Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science ’15) is a dual degree, triple major honors student and New England Scholar from Manchester, CT. Passionate about public service, Sarah focuses much of her boundless energy in the area of education reform. She aspires to earn a master’s degree in education and public policy in preparation for a doctorate in educational leadership. Recipient of the Elizabeth C. Hanson Scholarship, she is currently studying political economy in U.K. during a semester abroad at the University of Nottingham. One of Sarah’s many strengths is her ability to synthesize her majors and think critically about issues that contribute to barriers to education, a theme that resonates through her extracurricular activities. This spring, she will lead an Alternative Spring Break to Providence, RI on Youth Development and Education. On campus, she is a UNESCO Student Ambassador for Human Rights, and has been Assistant Editor for Namaste: Student Journal of Human Rights, a media specialist for UConnPIRG’s Hunger and Homelessness Campaign, a news contributor to UCTV, and a featured presenter at UConn’s International Women’s Day. While in Nottingham, she is part of the Youth Civic Education cohort for the University of Nottingham Pro Bono Society. Sarah also spends time volunteering as a Girl Scout leader and has served as a Student Mentor for PeaceJam New England. Among these and many other activities, Sarah is an accomplished ballet dancer.
Mary Rockett (CLAS: Political Science ’15), widely known as “Molly,” is an honors student and New England Scholar from Somers, CT. Deeply committed to political engagement, Molly led UConn’s College Democrats to an impressive showing in an off-year election cycle last fall. She has been an intern for both Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Joe Courtney in Washington DC, and served as a Nominator at Courtney’s Nominating Convention. Despite her national exposure, Molly believes strongly that political engagement starts at the local level, and she was recently elected to the Town of Somers Board of Education. In high school, she organized a Youth Issues Assembly with Rep. Courtney for her school and, as President of the Somers Gay/Straight Alliance, was an active leader in support of the LGBT community. At the college level, Molly has been a research assistant for Dr. Matthew Singer, examining voting behavior in Latin America, and was recently awarded a Roper Award for Research Experience (RARE) grant with Dr. Virginia Hettinger for a project titled, “Public Perception and Judicial Legitimacy.” As a sophomore, she was invited to participate in UConn’s highly selective Leadership Legacy Experience program and in other opportunities for emerging leaders, including the National Education for Women (NEW) Leadership New England Conference and “Elect Her”: Women in Politics Training Conference. “My mission,” writes Molly, “is to show people the magnitude of their own personal power in the political system.”