KU junior named as finalist for Harry S. Truman Scholarship


LAWRENCE —  A University of Kansas junior from Emporia is a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

Gustavo Murillo-Espinoza is majoring in molecular, cellular & developmental biology and is pursuing a minor in Latino/a studies. He will participate in an interview for the scholarship next month.

The prestigious national awards provide up to $30,000 for graduate study. The awards are given to college juniors for leadership in public service. They are highly competitive, with only about 60 Truman Scholars named nationwide each year.

This year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation selected 193 finalists from 129 institutions to interview for the scholarship awards. The foundation received 845 applications from 328 institutions to determine the finalists.

Finalists participate in panel interviews in March and early April, with final scholarship announcements anticipated in mid-April.

The campus nomination process is coordinated by the Office of Fellowships, a unit of Academic Success. Students interested in applying for the Truman Scholarship in future years are encouraged to contact the office, which can nominate a limited number of students each year.

Since 1981, 20 KU students have become Truman scholars. Samuel Steuart was the most recent KU student to receive the honor in 2019.

More information about KU’s Truman finalist is below.

Gustavo Murillo-Espinoza, of Emporia, is the son of Silvino and Veronica Murillo, and he graduated from Emporia High School. Murillo-Espinoza is a member of the University Honors Program, the Multicultural Scholars Program and TRIO STEM, and he was selected as a freshman for the Center for Undergraduate Research’s Emerging Scholars Program. He continues to work in the biomolecular lab of Joanna Slusky, associate professor of molecular biosciences. Murillo-Espinoza is involved in several organizations for fellow Mexican and Hispanic students, including Phi Iota Alpha, and the Kansas City Hispanic Development Fund. KU Endowment selected him for the Tradition of Excellence Scholarship based on his leadership with these organizations. For the past two years, Murillo-Espinoza served as a student leader for OPTIONS, a pre-semester program for first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students. Murillo-Espinoza is a chemistry tutor for the Peer-Led Undergraduate Supplement program and is a student ambassador for TRIO and the University Honors Program. 

Thu, 02/25/2021

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Andy Hyland

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