Two undergraduates, Trinity juniors Chris Lam and Julie Zwibelman, have been named recipients of this year's Truman Scholarship.
The scholarship, which was established in honor of President Harry Truman, provides funding to up to 85 college juniors across the country who plan to attend graduate school and go into careers in government or other forms of community service.
Lam, who hails from Pinehurst, N.C., is currently Duke Student Government vice president for student affairs. During his sophomore year, he served as president of Duke Democrats and executive vice president of the Independent Students Association, an organization he co-founded. He has been involved in the campaigns of several North Carolina government officials, and most recently served as press and research intern in Governor Jim Hunt's 1996 campaign.
Zwibelman, who hails from Chesterfield, Mo., has been an active community service leader and has developed programs for at-risk youth and coordinated Special Olympics tournaments during her tenure
Zwibelman is currently studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, and could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The achievements of the University's award winners this year were particularly impressive, said Ellen Wittig, associate dean of Trinity College. "I think they were wonderful candidates and truly worthy of the award," she said.
President Nan Keohane surprised Lam with the news that he had received the award during a Wednesday morning meeting the two had scheduled to discuss residential life issues. At the beginning of the meeting, Keohane left the room and returned with Richard White, dean of Trinity College, and Wittig to tell Lam he had won the Truman.
"I'm totally elated," Lam said, adding that the scholarship is valuable for much more than the funding it provides. "It has already allowed me to focus on what I want to do with my life and how I'm going to do it."
After graduation, Zwibelman plans to obtain a joint law degree and Master's degree in history, and pursue a career in human rights law with a focus on immigration policy and civil rights.
Lam said he plans to attend graduate school in either law or public policy, and then return to North Carolina to work in government. He said he also hopes eventually to run for elected office. "I have lived in this state for my entire life and I have grown to love it," he said. "It's important that we have people who care about public service and who are going into it for the right reasons."
Recipients of the Truman receive $3,000 to help fund their senior year of college and $24,000 more to use toward their subsequent graduate studies. They are required to attend a week-long program in May, where they will meet the other winners and learn leadership skills.
The award committee considers applicants' public service records, leadership abilities, academic performances and post-graduate plans when selecting scholarship recipients.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.