Colorado State University undergraduates Nizhoni Hatch and Claire Walther are finalists for the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, a highly competitive graduate fellowship program for students pursuing careers in government and public service.
Hatch, a junior the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and Walther, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts and the Warner College of Natural Resources, are in the running for the honor. The award includes a $30,000 scholarship to a graduate school of their choice as well as a weeklong leadership training session with other winners and an internship opportunity in Washington, D.C.
The two students were among the select 199 chosen by the Truman Foundation’s Finalist Selection Committee. This year’s finalist class represents 133 institutions. The Truman Foundation received 705 applications from 275 institutions this year.
The Truman Scholars will be announced in April following finalist interviews with the Truman Foundation’s Regional Review Panels.
Since 2015, 19 CSU students have been named finalists, five of whom were named scholars, according to The Institute for Learning and Teaching’s Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Advising.
Hatch, majoring in biomedical sciences, hopes to gain clinical experience working with urban Native Americans through the Denver Indian Health and Family Services Center if selected as a Truman Scholar. Hatch, a member of CSU’s Honors Program, was previously named a Udall Scholar in 2022. The prestigious honor recognizes those committed to careers focusing on the environment, tribal public policy and Native American health care.
“Throughout my undergraduate education, I have had the privilege of finding a supportive community and great mentors, and they continue to inspire me and motivate me in my goals,” Hatch said. “With their support and encouragement, I am honored to represent CSU as a Truman finalist and pursue my aspirations of serving Native peoples in the health field.”
If named a Truman Scholar, Walther, majoring in political science as well as fish, wildlife and conservation biology, hopes to find position with the Cross-Cutting Issues Law Office, located within the EPA’s Office of General Counsel. Cross-Cutting Issues focuses on a diverse array of cases surrounding communities and ecosystems, international environmental law and regulatory issues.
About the Truman Scholarship
The Truman Scholarship is the country’s premier graduate fellowship for those pursuing careers as public service leaders. The program is administered by the Truman Foundation, a living memorial to the nation’s 33rd president created by Congress in 1975.
There have been 3,322 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards in 1977. Prominent Truman Scholars include U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (1983), Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch (1987) and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice (1984).
Sophomores interested in applying for the Truman Scholarship should contact Mary Swanson, program director of the Office for Scholarship and Fellowship Advising, at mary.swanson@colostate.edu.
