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St. John's College Junior Named 2009 Truman Scholar
Jamaal Barnes, junior
Hometown: Sanford, North Carolina
St. John's College junior Jamaal Barnes has been named a 2009 Truman Scholar by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Barnes is one of 60 students from 55 colleges and universities in the United States that were selected for their leadership potential, intellectual ability, and desire to "make a difference."
"Jamaal Barnes brightens up every room he enters. He is a natural leader both in and out of the classroom, who is dedicated to a career helping under-served young people fulfill their potential," says St. John's College President Christopher Nelson. "Mr. Barnes' passionate commitment to creating an interactive program for teenagers from risk-filled communities in Annapolis inspired several other students to join him in this endeavor." Barnes is a co-founder of the Epigenesis Program, a student outreach program designed to empower and instill leadership skills in disadvantaged Annapolis, Md. youth.
"St. John's has helped me develop as a leader. I want to support and empower others and take what I learn here at St. John's and apply it," says Barnes. In addition to being active in the Annapolis community, Barnes, who is from Southern Pines, N.C., is a leader in the St. John's community. He serves on the Delegate Council at St. John's College and as a student representative to the college's Board of Visitors and Governors. He is also a member of Primum Mobile, a group formed to sing sacred music, and is a resident assistant on campus.
The 2009 Truman Scholars were selected from 601 undergraduates. There have been 2,670 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards were made in 1977. Among them are Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, a 1977 Truman Scholar, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, a 1984 Truman Scholar, who are the first Truman Scholars to achieve U.S. Presidential Cabinet rank.
Each Truman scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate study. Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government. Recipients must be U.S. citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class, and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.
The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to our thirty-third President. The foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. Madeleine K. Albright is the current president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.
For a listing of the 2009 Scholars and more information on the Truman Scholarship Foundation, see www.truman.gov. Click here to learn more about Jamaal Barnes.