| AU’s Carpenter, Smith win Truman scholarships BY ADRIENNE FRANK 
Photo by Jeff Watts
From left: Anna Carpenter, Interim President Neil Kerwin, and JoAnna Smith AU students Anna Carpenter and JoAnna Smith have been awarded the prestigious Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship, which provides $30,000 for graduate studies in preparation for a career in public service. AU has now turned out 13 Truman scholars, including six in the last seven years. In addition, Jonathan Cardinal, a St. Lawrence University student, who’s currently in enrolled in AU’s Washington Semester Transforming Communities seminar, has also been named a Truman scholar. Carpenter, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the School of International Service (SIS), recently studied abroad in Kenya, where she created an advocacy campaign to raise awareness about the sexual exploitation of female domestic laborers. A Minnesota native, Carpenter has also interned with Amnesty International and the Center for Victims of Torture. Smith, a junior in the School of Public Affairs (SPA), serves as a student wellness advocate for the Naked Truth and as an assault victim advocate for women. The Indiana native has also served as director of AU’s Women’s Initiative. “Anna and JoAnna both have an extraordinary combination of very high grades, amazing leadership experience, and a deep commitment to women’s issues,” said Paula Warrick, director of merit awards at the Career Center. “They’re both just incredible students.” Warrick said the Truman scholarship will provide Carpenter and Smith “with a layer of mentoring that they wouldn’t otherwise receive.” In the summer after their senior year, the students will intern with a nonprofit or federal government agency and meet with distinguished public servants—including Supreme Court justices and other elected officials. “It’s an extraordinary opportunity, and we couldn’t be more excited for them,” said Warrick. This is the first time since 1990 that AU has had two Truman scholars in one year. |
