The Truman Summer Institute (SI), held annually in Washington, DC, and initiated in 1991, provides Truman scholars with an intentional community environment in the summer following their senior year of undergrad. The 10-week program includes seminars, presentations, workshops and an eight-week internship with a public service organization. Scholars participate in public policy seminars for the first week and various days throughout the summer. Events include a day on Capitol Hill sponsored by the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Leadership and a workshop on arts and Public service with the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. Scholars also live communally on the George Washington University campus. But the highlight of the summer has to be the Tuesday night presentations – scholar-led speeches on any topic of their choosing.

Presentations have included a range of topics, from an analysis of Foucault's viewpoints on the prison system by Meg Beyer (GA '09) to an exploration the social implications of Lady Gaga in pop culture by Adam Amir (FL '09). Hometown pride is a popular topic choice. Jennie Hatch (ME '09) delivered a virtual guide to the Maine Lobster Bake, which left many mouths watering; Amy Nichols (OR '09) introduced us to the nuances of Pittsburghese. Some scholars have taken this opportunity to showcase little-known feats and talents: at 16, Ellie Emery (CT '09) completed a 58-day, 700-mile trek across the Canadian tundra; Patrick Reimherr (UT '09), accompanied by Alex Merkovic-Orenstein (FL '09) and Adam Amir (FL '09), wrote and performed a song about the “Truman Blues.”

We wouldn't be Truman Scholars if we didn't broach important social issues. Several scholars presented on very serious topics. Olimar Maisonet-Guzman (PR '09), presented on international water conflicts because she wanted to share one of the two things in her life that she takes seriously, the other being fencing. Jenny Lamb (CO '09) revealed the complexity of agricultural development in East Africa. 

Reynaldo Fuentes (WY '09) sums up his feelings about the summer. “Whether we are inspired by the speech of a lifelong public servant or debating controversial political issues over homemade dinner, the summer's experiences will last us a lifetime.”

Aerica Shimizu-Banks (WA '09) graduated from Seattle University this Spring with a degree in Environmental Studies and Public Affairs. Her interests include policy-making, environmental justice, and handmade greeting cards. 

Alex Merkovic-Orenstein (FL '09), Patrick Reimherr (UT '09), and Adam Amir (FL '09) (left to right)

Will Masters (NH ‘81) will be moving from Purdue University to be Professor of Food Policy in the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University. His contact information and details are at http://sites.tufts.edu/willmasters.

Brian Ellner (NY '90) was recently tapped by the Human Rights Campaign to lead its Campaign for New York Marriage. The campaign is focused on electing fair minded legislators this fall in order to enact marriage equality early next year. Learn more about the effort at www.hrc.org/nymarriage.

Mary (Ammann) Vargas (NJ ‘94) opened Stein & Vargas, LLP, a national litigation firm focusing on the representation of individuals with disabilities in disability discrimination cases in September 2009. She received the American Academy of Pain Management's Advocacy for People with Pain Award for 2010.

Jake Zimmerman (’95), Missouri State Representative for District 83, is engaged to his girlfriend of two years, Megan Robertson.

Shawn Vogt Sween (MN ’99) and family recently moved back to Minnesota. Shawn is opening a rural law practice in Grand Meadow, MN, which will focus on agricultural and transportation law, rural schools and communities, and general rural legal needs, including real estate, wills and estates, and probate law. (see www.svslawoffice.com.) Shawn also recently finished renovating a historic 110+ year old building in downtown Grand Meadow for use as his office and would love to visit with any Trumans who happen to travel through Minnesota close by on I-90.

Jina Moore (WV '01) is finishing up a three-month reporting project on peace building and the United Nations, in partnership with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.  You can find her dispatches from four countries on her blog or her website.

Michael Gale (WV ’02) has transitioned into a new role at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Michael is now overseeing a national, public engagement campaign as the Communications Coordinator of an effort to craft a renewed, 10-year vision for the National Wildlife Refuge System. 

Marie-Adele “Dellie” Sorel (MD ’04) just completed her first year of residency at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard and moved to Washington, DC, where she is now in training for radiation oncology at Georgetown University. She also got engaged this year and is planning to get married in April.

Kelsey Vaughan (ME ’04) will be starting a master's program in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine this fall, and she looks forward to connecting with London-based Scholars!

Ross Baird (GA '06) and Jen Kyle (CT '06) were engaged in late May. Ross proposed at sunrise at the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC, an outing he and Jen had planned to take together during 2007 Truman Scholars Summer Institute, but never did. "Three years later, it was certainly an unforgettable morning," Baird said.

Katie Jares (IA '06) will be moving to Washington, DC and pursuing her Ph.D. in Justice, Law, and Society at American University. She plans to examine the composition of parole boards and their role in the criminal justice process.

Devin Mauney (AZ ’08) will be starting law school at Harvard as a member of the HLS Class of 2013.

Please submit updates about yourself and other scholars to news@trumanscholars.org.

Robert Van Der Velde (OH ‘79), will return to the Sun Belt on July 1 to become Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Palm Beach Gardens, Florida campus of Palm Beach State College.

Eric Greitens (MO ’95), CEO of the Mission Continues, is one of three St. Louis finalists for Major League Baseball (MLB) and People Magazine’s “All-Stars Among Us” contest. To vote for Eric, visit peopleallstars.com and click on “St. Louis Cardinals.”

Jonathan Sclarsic (MA ’02) was named Massachusetts Assistant Attorney General in the Division of Open Government, which is responsible for educating the public and enforcing laws related to government transparency in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Jeff McLean (WI ’03) has been deployed for the last 5 months in the Arabian Sea on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, flying F/A-18F Super Hornets in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He says his return home in two months will be a glorious occasion, but he’s very proud of his contribution to the war: “Flying from the aircraft carrier has been every bit of adventure and excitement that I'd hoped for, and it has been an inspiration leading and working with the sailors onboard. It was great to see everyone again at the National Conference last summer, and I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone this fall!”

Joe Wells (IN ’03) is commander of a 150-man stryker infantry company (Charger Company, 2-3 IN Battalion), which was deployed to Muqdadiyah, Iraq but will soon return to Washington State.  Wells says that local governance, security, economics, and infrastructure have improved markedly during the company’s deployment, and he remains optimistic about Iraq's future prospects.

Maya Babu (MN ’04) graduated in May with an MD with honors from Harvard Medical School and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she received the Dean's Award.  Maya will start a neurosurgical residency at the Mayo Clinic in June. 

Mark Gaber (WI '04) graduated from Stanford Law School in June 2010.  He will spend a year as an associate at Jenner & Block, in Washington, DC, after which he will be a law clerk for Judge Judith Rogers on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Sara Ryan (PA '04) married Joe Weissfeld on March 27, 2010 in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.  Fellow Truman Scholars Sarah Sattelmeyer (GA ’04), a bridesmaid, and Melissa Boteach (MD '04) were present.

James Madden (MA ’05) graduated from MIT with a Masters in City Planning and began working for the Campaign to Protect the Affordable Housing Law, which is the vote “no” campaign on a ballot question that would repeal an important housing law in Massachusetts.

Ryan Quarles (KY ’05) won his primary on May 18th with 60% of the vote for the Kentucky House of Representatives.  His district lies in central Kentucky, in the "Bluegrass" region of the state, which includes the thoroughbred industry, Toyota's largest manufacturing plant in the U.S., and includes a vibrant agricultural community.  Ryan will be taking on a seven-term incumbent.  His website is www.RyanQuarles.com and he would appreciate any help.

Lauren Finzer (CA ’08) was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship. Beginning in August, she will spend nine months in India studying how supermarkets are affecting fruit and vegetable consumption.

Cara Valente-Compton (NM ‘10) started a new blog about the trials and tribulations of life as a 42 year old college student, mother of five, and Truman Scholar at LOBO MOM: http://undergradmom.blogspot.com.

Almost 45,000 people came to Copenhagen last December to be a part of the United Nations Climate Change negotiations. Among them were more than a few Truman Scholars. Whether as government representatives, researchers at universities, or leaders of advocacy groups, we continued a long history of international Truman public service in the fight to stop climate change.

The two of us came as leaders of the youth-run sustainable development policy organization SustainUS. Jennie co-leads SustainUS's Agents of Change program, which brought more than 25 U.S. youth to participate in the Copenhagen talks, and Kyle chairs the organization and served as our official Head of Delegation in Copenhagen. SustainUS has advocated for a fair and binding science-based climate treaty for several years at the UN meetings. This was not the first UN climate negotiation for either of us, but it was easily the biggest.

While deeply concerned by the outcomes in Copenhagen, we were excited to be a part of the growing international climate movement, represented by the tens of thousands who tried to participate in the talks (we made it in, but many were locked out due to overcapacity in the negotiating halls), and the more than 100,000 who marched outside in Copenhagen’s streets. We were also thrilled to help lead the development of the international youth climate movement, which brought more than 1,500 young people from over 100 countries to participate in the negotiations, and last year secured formal UN recognition as a civil society participant. SustainUS helped to facilitate the training and coordination of some of the estimated 500 U.S. youth who came, including almost 200 inside the meeting and more than 300 in the streets.

We were also thrilled to be a part of the diverse Truman presence in Copenhagen. Paul Bodnar (CA ‘98) and Clare Sierawski (PA ‘04) serve on the State Department’s climate negotiating team. Scott Moore (KY ‘07) came with Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, and Emily McGlynn (PA ‘08), supported by SustainUS accreditation, attended as part of her work as a winner of the German government’s Transatlantic Renewable Energy Fellowship.

Many other Trumans have lent their talents to the international climate change effort, including some we probably don’t even know about (sorry!). Both Scott and Kelly Greenman (FL ‘08) were SustainUS delegates to the Bali negotiations in 2007, where the path to Copenhagen was agreed on. Michael Gale (WV ‘02), who now serves on SustainUS's Board of Directors, participated in the 2005 Montreal negotiations, essentially helping to start what would later become the international youth climate movement. Before that, Joy Hecht (MA ‘78) co-authored an influential paper in 1998 on the Kyoto Protocol and biodiversity conservation that SustainUS still references in its forest policy work today. And we learned just last month in the Class Notes section of this blog that Tom Burack (NH ‘80), Commissioner for the State of New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services, chaired the Climate Change Policy Task Force established by the Governor to develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP) for his state, and now chairs the NH Energy and Climate Collaborative.

Climate change didn’t end in Copenhagen. Neither, we suspect, will Truman Scholars’ efforts toward its solutions – internationally in UN climate negotiations, locally in our communities, and everywhere in between. Humbled by the legacy we’re now a part of, we look forward to seeing new Scholars apply the same passion and ingenuity toward this global struggle that made them Trumans in the first place.

Kyle Gracey (PA ‘05) is Chair of SustainUS and Master's student at the University of Chicago, and Jennifer Hatch (ME ‘09) is Agents of Change Coordinator of SustainUS and a senior at Wellesley College.

The SustainUS Copenhagen delegation - Kyle and Jennie 2nd row, 2nd and 4th from left

Preparing for a State Department meeting - Jennie and Kyle 1st row, far left and far right

Most Americans know that President Truman was faced with the difficult decision about whether or not to use atomic power during World War II.  But what most don’t know is that after the war, Truman asked our veterans to play leadership roles in their communities as civilians.  At the end of World War II, President Truman sent a letter to all honorably discharged WWII veterans with this message:

“To you who answered the call of your country and served in its Armed Forces to bring about the total defeat of the enemy, I extend the heartfelt thanks of a grateful Nation.  As some of the Nation’s finest, you undertook the most severe task one can be called upon to perform.  Because you demonstrated the fortitude, resourcefulness, and calm judgment necessary to carry out that task, we now look to you for leadership and example in further exalting our country in peace.” 

As both a wartime President and a World War I veteran, Truman recognized the need to challenge our nation’s veterans.  

Through my own military experiences, I also saw the need to not only tell our veterans “thank you,” but also “we still need you”. After I returned from service in Iraq as a Navy SEAL, I visited with wounded Marines at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. Even though their wounds had cut their time in the military short, each Marine expressed an unwavering desire to continue serving his country.  I noticed that many people were offering things to wounded veterans, but I knew it was essential to ask something of them.  After visiting Bethesda, I used my combat pay to start The Mission Continues so that we could challenge our veterans to serve again.

The Mission Continues offers competitive fellowships to engage wounded and disabled veterans who have served since 9/11 in service here at home.  These veterans draw from leadership skills honed on the battlefield to now benefit their communities. A typical Fellowship lasts 14 weeks, during which the Fellow receives a living stipend so he or she can serve full-time at a local charitable organization.  Each Fellow provides a tangible good such as mentoring at-risk children, organizing veterans support groups, or helping the disabled enjoy the outdoors again. 

In addition to our Fellowship program we encourage veterans from all eras and citizens of all backgrounds to complete service projects in their communities.  Last month, we had our largest service campaign to date during National Volunteer Week.  Over a 9-day period, nearly 700 volunteers and supporters participated in 29 projects across the nation, dedicating 2,000 hours of service.  Veterans and citizens served side by side, preparing lunches for homeless veterans, beautifying war memorials, and serving as buddies for the Special Olympics.  

I attended a service project in honor of Lt. Daniel Riordan, who lost his life in Iraq in June 2007.  Nearly 60 volunteers, both veterans and civilians, gathered at the Soldiers Memorial in downtown St. Louis to landscape and beautify the grounds.  Dan’s family was in attendance, but so were many others – most who didn’t know Lt. Riordan but wanted to serve their community while honoring Dan at the same time.  It was incredible to see our nation’s veterans answering the call to service in their communities.

Volunteers and staff have shared similar experiences from the projects they attended throughout the country. Among the stories shared were a third grade student learning to dig a hole from an Army veteran while planting a tree on his school grounds, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans working alongside those who served in Vietnam, and wounded and disabled veterans receiving fitness training.  National Volunteer Week has come and gone, but the idea of continued service has not. 

Much as Truman challenged our veterans to be leaders in their communities, I encourage you to think about our returning veterans and the incredible service they still are able to give to our country.  We should not only tell them “thank you” for their service, but also “we still need you.”

Eric Greitens (MO '95) is Chairman and CEO of The Mission Continues and a Senior Fellow at the Truman School of Public Affairs at the University of Missouri.

Periodically we ask Scholars to provide a "Status Update" and let us know what they are doing. Lauren Finzer's story about how she and her friends "walked the talk" to raise funds for Haiti relief shows that public service can be ad hoc!

From Lauren Finzer (CA '08):

This Sunday, five friends and I walked the length of Manhattan - 15 miles - to raise support for Partners in Health in Haiti. The ideas was hatched the night before, when we were sitting around the dinner table feeling sad and powerless. We wanted to do something to help, but weren't sure what we could contribute. After brainstorming extensively, we decided to fundraise by spending Sunday walking the length of Manhattan and asking people to sponsor us per mile. We set what we thought was an ambitious goal of raising $500. We never would have dreamed that we would end up raising - as a conservative estimate - more than $7,000, much of which was matched by other donors!

The walk itself was wet - it started raining at mile 6 - but eye-opening and inspiring. Throughout the stormy day we had many conversations with people of all ages, in different communities, and in multiple languages. The outpouring of support from friends and family was tremendous, as we "tweeted" and emailed about our progress throughout the day. It was one of the most rewarding days of my life.