Meet UMBC’s Truman Scholars

Haleemat Adekoya ‘23, political science, received a surprise phone call last Tuesday morning. On the line were both UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski and Valerie Sheares Ashby, who just one day earlier was announced as UMBC’s next president. They were calling together to share, with heartfelt congratulations, her selection as a 2022 Truman Scholar.

Adekoya has spent the last year preparing to apply for the renowned national scholarship focused on public service. After a series of rigorous interviews, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation announced Adekoya as one of just 58 students nationwide to receive the award. Adekoya is UMBC’s fifth Truman Scholar.

The Foundation selected recipients from a pool of over 700 applicants who showed a strong record of public service and also submitted a policy proposal addressing a concerning issue in society. Scholars receive $30,000 to attend the graduate school of their choice, as well as access to public service programs, mentorship, and job opportunities within the federal government.

This year also marked the second time two UMBC students reached the final round of Truman Scholar selection. In addition to Adekoya, Rehman Liaqat ‘22, political science, was also chosen as a finalist.

“Having two finalists is a huge honor for UMBC, with only 58 winners selected, that means that our students are highly competitive for this award.”
~Dr. April Householder, Director of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships

Other institutions with multiple finalists include Duke, Harvard, MIT, and Stanford.

Evan Avila
’20 Economics, Political Science
Truman Scholar 2019[/caption]

UMBC Junior Wins National Public Service Scholarship

April 11, 2019

Evan is a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar and member of the Honors College, studying economics and political science at UMBC. He is passionate about solving the structural disadvantages that marginalized populations face when trying to achieve long-term financial security. “Evan has taken on what other students might consider “boring” endeavors- income tax preparation, working for the U.S. Census Bureau- and turned them into deeply meaningful experiences, ones that he sees as inextricably linked to empowering people. He cares about people who are invisible to many- immigrants, retirees, the poor,” observes April Householder, Director of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships.

In 2018, Evan won a national research competition, the iOme Challenge, with policy solutions for gig workers who lack access to qualified retirement plans. He has since been invited to speak on the subject at several policy conferences, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As President and Site Manager of UMBC’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA), Evan deters predatory tax preparers by training students to prepare free income taxes for over 500 low-income households in the Baltimore area. Evan is has also interned at the U.S. Census Bureau and Treasury Department. After graduation, Evan intends to earn a dual JD/LLM in Taxation and pursue a public service career in tax and social insurance policy.

According to Arthur Johnson, former UMBC Provost and Director of the Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars Program, “Evan’s selection is a reflection of the significance and relevance of the service activities that UMBC students are providing through programs such as the Sondheim Scholars, Shriver Center, Honors College, and many others. It also is further evidence that UMBC’s commitment to civic engagement is alive and well among our students. Among many other expectations, Truman Scholars are expected to become leaders of our nation and communities and we are confident that Evan will fulfill those expectations.”

Alicia Wilson ’04 Political Science
University of Maryland School of Law, J.D.

UMBC Junior from Baltimore City Wins National Public Service Scholarship*
April 2, 2003

BALTIMORE, Md. Alicia Wilson, a UMBC Public Affairs Scholar and former valedictorian at Mergenthaler HS (Baltimore), has been awarded the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, awarded annually to 75 outstanding college juniors who are preparing for careers in government. Wilson is majoring in political science and plans to pursue joint degrees in public interest law and urban policy after completing her studies at UMBC.

The Truman Scholarship, the official federal memorial to America’s 33rd president, is a $30,000 merit-based grant awarded to undergraduate students who need financial support to attend graduate or professional school in preparation for careers in government. The Truman Foundation is particularly interested in students who have extensive records of public and community service, are committed to careers in government or elsewhere in public service, and have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills.

“Alicia enters each new situation with the expectation that she can do something positive, and she has a wonderful way of relating to others so that the positive becomes more likely,” said Roy Meyers, director of the Public Affairs Scholars Program.

Wilson, a native of Baltimore City and valedictorian of her class at Merganthaler Vocational-Technical High School, draws on her experiences growing up in inner-city Baltimore for inspiration to help others realize their dreams.

“As a resident of the inner city, at many times in my life I have had to beat the odds and expectations that many have for someone with my background. My story is not unlike many coming from an urban environment, but what has made all the difference was the supportive people in my life. My family, friends, and mentors have given me overwhelming support and set me on the course to achieve great things. It is my goal to help others as I have been helped.”

Wilson is engaged in public service efforts both on campus and off. She works as a change leader for Oxfam America, organizing hunger and social justice awareness events at college campuses across the country, from Harvard to Georgia Tech. She is Director of Community Service for UMBC’s NAACP Chapter and a regional conference delegate with the University’s Model United Nations group.

Wilson spends time in the city as a Literacy Tutor with Baltimore City’s Learning Bank Adult Literacy Program and a Peer Counselor with Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD is the city’s labor-faith organization coalition for school and neighborhood improvement). She has held a legal internship with a Maryland Circuit Court judge, and worked for five summers with Baltimore’s Public Justice Center.

“My career goals and aspirations have been greatly shaped by my experiences living in the city of Baltimore,” said Wilson. “As a resident of Baltimore and a student of the public school system, I have been able to witness the difference that an adequate education can make in the life of an individual.”

“The time to perform service is now. It is not contingent upon my social status or background, rather it is contingent upon my willingness to help. Armed with knowledge of the problems and ways to address them, I have been able to understand that it is not impossible for one person or small group to make a difference and that it is not too idealistic to believe that change can happen.”

The Truman Foundation is a federal executive branch agency that administers the Truman Scholarship program. The agency is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the President and Congress, endowed by a $55 million trust fund in the U.S. Treasury, and supported by a staff of six and more than 100 distinguished public servants and former Truman Scholars who participate in the selection process.

The UMBC Public Affairs Scholars Program supports talented undergraduate students interested in pursuing careers in government and politics, the non-profit sector, corporations and the community. Students learn about American and world societies, develop a deep understanding of public policy and acquire skills for being effective public leaders. Drawing upon the strengths of UMBC’s faculty and the wealth of opportunities in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, Public Affairs Scholars link theory and practice.

*Originally published in the umbcnews in April 2003.