Burns, Lawrence students finalists for Truman Scholarships


LAWRENCE — University of Kansas juniors Ashlie Koehn and Jennifer Stern will interview for a 2015 Harry S. Truman Scholarship with the Foundation’s Regional Review Panel in Kansas City on Wednesday, March 11.

Koehn and Stern were selected for interviews based on their records of leadership, public service and academic achievement. For 2015, the Foundation reviewed 688 student nominees and selected 200 students from 135 institutions as finalists.

Koehn, of Burns, is the daughter of Rodney and Carolyn Koehn and is a graduate of Fredrick Remington High School. She is a triple major in economics, environmental studies and global & international studies. She is a member of the Kansas Air National Guard, Staff Sergeant 177th Information Aggressor Squadron, Kansas Air National Guard-Cyber Intelligence Analyst/Aggressor and was named the 2013 Kansas Air National Guard Airman of the Year. She is currently on leave while studying abroad in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with Boren and Gilman scholarships. Koehn also is a member of the KU Global Scholars Program and was named a Newman Civic Fellow in 2014.

Stern, of Lawrence, is the daughter of George and Joan Stern and is a graduate of Free State High School. She is majoring in ecology & evolutionary biology. She conducted original research on climate change and icthyology with Joy Ward, associate professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, and Leo William Smith, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology and assistant curator at the Biodiversity Institute. Stern spent summer 2014 at the New England Aquarium Harbor Discoveries Camp as the marine science camp counselor intern. She is member of the University Scholar program and head peer leader for the Peer Led Undergraduate Supplements in Biology program. Stern received a 2014 Honorable Mention for the Udall Scholarship

Since 1981, 17 KU students have become Truman scholars, most recently Hannah Sitz in 2013. The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to the 33rd U.S. president. Truman Scholar nominees are supported throughout the application process by the nationally recognized University Honors Program.

Regional interviews take place between March 6 and April 2, and all winners will be announced April 15. Each new Truman Scholar receives 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 nonprofit sector.

Thu, 03/05/2015

author

Anne Wallen

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Anne Wallen

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