Two Walsh School of Foreign Service juniors – Sinclair Blue of Washington, DC, and Mena Mohamed of Alexandria, Virginia – have won prestigious Truman scholarships.
The Georgetown students are two of only 62 undergraduates selected from 199 finalists today as 2019 Truman Scholars. The finalists were selected from 840 candidates nominated by 346 U.S. colleges and universities.
The Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States. Winners receive $30,000 toward up to three years of graduate education leading to a public service career and benefit from a network of other scholars through the Truman Scholars Association.
“It is wonderful to see Sinclair and Mena being honored in this special way,” says Georgetown President John J. DeGioia. “Their leadership and commitment to public service represent the very best of our Georgetown community, and we offer them our heartfelt congratulations on this achievement.”
Blue plans to pursue a dual master’s degree in public health and urban planning, and hopes to work for a nonprofit that uses food education, access and policy to advance food justice and eliminate food deserts in the nation’s capital.
Eventually, Blue hopes to work for the DC Department of Health addressing the root causes of racial and socioeconomic health disparities and will apply to the Truman Foundation Summer Institute, which includes an eight-week public service internship.
Mohamed intends to earn a masters in international affairs and a masters in urban planning, and hopes to work within the U.S. refugee system as a stepping stone to later work in global governance.
Her long-term goal is to oversee implementation of U.S. refugee policy as a program officer in the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration or in the Refugee Services Division of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
“I could not be prouder of Sinclair and Mena,”says Sarah Stewart Johnson, an assistant professor of planetary science who received the Truman Scholarship in 2000as a student at Washington University in St. Louis.“They are both remarkably talented leaders with engaging personalities, powerful intellects, curious minds and the moral force of character required to have a meaningful impact on our world. The Truman community will be proud to count them among its ranks.”
For more information about the Truman Scholarship and other fellowship opportunities, please visit the Georgetown Office of Fellowships, Awards, and Resources at gofar.georgetown.edu or email gufa@georgetown.edu.
