By Jane Rock Costanza (WY '91)

"It’s that time of year again!  In just a few months, Truman finalists will be gathering around the United States for their Regional Review Panels.  As has become tradition, The Truman Scholars Association (TSA) is organizing a series of Truman Scholar Finalist Dinners in each city, the night before the Panel.  Finalist Dinners provide an outlet for current Scholars to meet potential Truman Scholars and answer questions about the Truman Scholarship program."  - TSA Board of Directors

The above is the prelude to a call for current Scholars to volunteer as hosts for one of the many finalist dinners and/or meet and greets that will begin in March throughout the country.

As the host of the Denver area finalist dinner last year, I encourage fellow Scholars to step up and volunteer to host this year. TSA provides all the information necessary to make the job of host run smoothly. The benefit of this is that the hosts are able to concentrate on the fun part of the job.

Finding a local venue is part of that fun. It offers the chance to really reflect upon your city and to see it through the eyes of visitors. Once the venue is locked in, a great time is to be had in connecting with area Scholars as well as tracking down a few "lost" Scholars in the region.

Because of the unique rapport among Scholars, the pre-dinner ice breaker in Denver last year with Executive Secretary Fred Slabach (MS ’77) and area Scholars felt like old home week. Mr. Slabach gave a brief presentation on the current status of the Foundation, and then area Scholars were able to get acquainted (translate: swap war stories about our own interviews, catch up with each other on our post-university lives, and exchange information for future networking). 

The opportunity to share our own experiences, answer questions and to mentor the new finalists was heartwarming to say the least. To see the new group of potential Truman Scholars and outstanding individuals walk in, size each other up as adversaries, and then to watch them walk out together as friends and colleagues, was priceless.

Hosting a finalist dinner is such a small way to give back to the Foundation that has given each of us so very much. I encourage you to volunteer. For more information or to sign up, visit http://www.trumanscholars.org/events/spring2011.

Jane Rock Costanza (WY '91) recently retired from the State of Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind where she was a member of the counseling, diagnostic and outreach teams specializing in at risk youth, program development, state wide consulting, and working with students with multiple disabilities. Her newest venture will begin in March, volunteering with cyclists who have sustained traumatic brain injuries and those with other adaptive needs.