MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Two Tufts students have been named 2014 Truman Scholars, joining 59 other college and university juniors from around the country to receive the honor for showing promising leadership and a commitment to making a difference through public service. Tufts is one of only five colleges and universities with more than one new Truman Scholar in 2014. This is the third time that two Tufts students have been selected for the award in the same year.
Truman Scholarships are awarded in part based on a policy proposal submitted by each applicant, which analyzes a societal issue and provides a thoughtful solution to the problem.
Amber Rose Johnson, an American studies and Africana Studies major and winner of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation competition, was chosen for her proposal on alternative education programs. As a sixth grade English Language Arts Enrichment teacher in Boston, she is passionate about youth development, particularly in communities of color. According to Amber Rose the United States is facing "The Drop Out Crisis" in which far too many students are not graduating from high school. Her policy proposal works against the negative stereotypes associated with students who have left school, and aims to support them with the option of a non-traditional educational experience that accommodates factors such as the need for financial support or parental responsibilities. Amber is from Providence, R.I.
Safiya Subegdjo has a strong passion for refugee resettlement. As the co-leader of the Tufts University Refugee Assistance Program (TU-RAP) she has organized a social support network for recently resettled refugees in the greater Boston area. Safiya has done extensive community service here in Boston and global health work abroad in Indonesia and Jordan. Last semester she was accepted into the Bachelor's/Master of Public Health dual degree program at Tufts, and she plans to pursue a medical degree to work with underserved immigrant and refugee communities. Safiya is from Hudson, N.H.
Safiya is also a Tisch Scholars for Citizenship and Public Service. This innovative multi-year leadership program, offered by Tufts' Tisch College for Citizenship and Public Service, enables Tufts students to become effective catalysts for change by developing and implementing ambitious public service project during their undergraduate years.
"It is wonderful to have two Tufts students recognized as outstanding candidates for future public service leadership, since active citizenship and civic engagement are central values for us at Tufts," said Alan D. Solomont, Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean at Tisch College.
This year's class of Truman Scholars was chosen from among 655 candidates nominated by 293 colleges and universities. Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate study and priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government.
Full details on the Truman Scholarship are accessible at: https://www.truman.gov/.
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Tufts University, located on three Massachusetts campuses in Boston, Medford/Somerville, and Grafton, and in Talloires, France, is recognized among the premier research universities in the United States. Tufts enjoys a global reputation for academic excellence and for the preparation of students as leaders in a wide range of professions. A growing number of innovative teaching and research initiatives span all Tufts campuses, and collaboration among the faculty and students in the undergraduate, graduate and professional programs across the university's schools is widely encouraged.
