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Two BSC students named 2020 Truman Scholarship finalists
Two BSC students named 2020 Truman Scholarship finalists
For Immediate Release
Feb. 21, 2020
Birmingham-Southern College students Sutton Smith and Sophie Herrington have been named finalists in the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship competition, which awards college juniors $30,000 toward graduate study, based on leadership, public service, and academic achievement.
The Truman Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as a living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and as “a place that nurtures and supports future generations who answer the call to public service leadership.” The Truman Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship award for students seeking a career in public service.
Out of a pool of 773 applications from 316 colleges and universities, the Finalist Selection Committee selected 190 candidates from 136 colleges and universities.
Sophie Herrington, a junior from Mobile, is a human rights and conflict studies major, with a minor in writing and distinction in poverty studies. On campus, she serves as a Resident Advisor, President-elect for Planned Parenthood Generation Action, Harrison Honors Scholar, and a member of Pi Beta Phi.
Sutton Smith is a history and religion double major from Auburn. She’s the director of concerts for BSC’s student programming board, Quest II, worship coordinator for Religious Life, and a member of Chi Omega. She has also served on SGA for two years. Smith is interning at Bluff Park United Methodist Church in Hoover and is a student organizer on the Doug Jones for Senate campaign.
Both Herrington and Smith were members of the 2019 class of Hess Fellows, a program that places students at top nonprofit groups as full-time staff members, engaging in advocacy and assisting the organization in addressing community needs. Herrington interned at N Street Village, the largest provider of housing and supportive services to women in Washington, D.C. Smith interned at Bread for the World, which provides nonpartisan policy analysis on hunger and strategies to end it.
A committee of BSC faculty chose the college’s four Truman Scholar nominees after an internal, on-campus interview and application process. Throughout the fall term, the students worked on the application, which includes 14 questions; three letters of recommendation, in addition to the Institutional Nomination Letter; and a 500-word policy proposal.
“Our campus community congratulates Sutton and Sophie on this stellar accomplishment, and we are proud to have them represent us in the next stage of this highly competitive process,” says BSC Provost Dr. Bradley Caskey.
Finalists will be interviewed across the country during March and April. Herrington and Sutton will be interviewed by the Foundation's Regional Review Panels on March 16 in Atlanta. The 2020 Class of Truman Scholars will be announced by 8 p.m. CST on April 15.
BSC has had seven Truman Scholars since 1979. According to History Department Chair Mark Schantz, BSC’s faculty representative for the Truman Scholarship, the Truman Scholarship competition is an especially good fit for Birmingham-Southern College students who have a passion for public service and leadership. The College’s mission to prepare students for lives of significance meshes well with the Truman Foundation’s effort to identify students who will be change agents in the world.
“For BSC to have two Finalists is a signal of the talent of our students and puts us in the company of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation.”
Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The institution is the result of a 1918 merger of Southern University, founded in Greensboro, Alabama, in 1856, with Birmingham College, founded in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1898. Birmingham-Southern has students from 34 states and 13 countries and a student/faculty ratio of 12:1.