March 2006

CAMPUS NEWS

Truman Scholar Stacy Aldinger

Stacy Aldinger Named 2006 Truman Scholar

International studies major Stacy Aldinger has been honored with the prestigious Truman Scholar award. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, offers the country's top scholarship for future leaders in the field of public service. Aldinger is among 75 college juniors nationwide who will receive $30,000 for fellowship, graduate study, and leadership training. The scholarship is designed to help advance students who are committed to making a difference through a career in education, government, or public service. Students were chosen based on their leadership, academic record, and dedication to serving others.

During Aldinger’s study abroad experience in Beijing as an NSEP/David L. Boren Undergraduate Scholar, she taught English at a school for migrant workers and conducted primary research on girls’ attitudes toward academics and professional life. She is also an AU Presidential Scholar, a National Merit Scholar, and a leader of Operation Outreach, an AU student organization that provides tutors in Southeast Washington, D.C. Originially from Honolulu, the honors student is currently studying in Brussels. She plans to use her Truman Scholarship to study international relations, with a focus on international development and East Asian studies, in graduate school.

Aldinger, and fellow AU classmates Daniel Guarnera, and Jenifer Smyers were among 200 students who were named national finalists, chosen from a pool of approximately 650 candidates.

Guarnera, an honors student and political science major, occasionally returns to his hometown of Newark, N.J., to teach at a magnet and vocational-tech school. This proficient French speaker is currently studying urban policy at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po Lille) in Lille, France. He is also a member of the SPA Leadership Program.

Smyers, a double-major in public communication, and law and society, is a member of the SPA Leadership Program, a Resident Assistant in Letts Hall, and the director of AU’s Women's Initiative, a women’s advocacy group. A native of Orange Park, Fla., she wrote a children’s book, "Renee the Refugee," which promotes awareness of violence committed against children worldwide. After publication, the book was circulated as an advocacy tool to members of the Senate to support the passage of the Unaccompanied Alien Child Protection Act of 2005. Not long after, Sen. Dianne Feinstein requested that it be republished for circulation in the House.

The Truman Scholar application process is lengthy, requiring students to apply first through their university. Each institution is permitted to nominate up to four students—the only exception for the university to nominate a fifth student is if an applicant has transferred from a two-year college. If chosen as a finalist, students must attend a series of interviews.

In 2003, all five of AU’s Truman Scholar nominees became national finalists. One of those five students, Christina Arnold, became a Truman Scholar that year. Last year, three out of four nominees became national finalists. Forrest Dunbar was selected to be a 2005 Truman Scholar.

-Tara Shlimowitz '08

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