Truman Scholar – UW News /news Thu, 21 Apr 2022 21:21:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Rosalie Fish, student, athlete and activist, selected as Truman Scholar /news/2022/04/14/rosalie-fish-student-athlete-and-activist-selected-as-truman-scholar/ Thu, 14 Apr 2022 18:01:34 +0000 /news/?p=78140 two people
UW junior Rosalie Fish was selected as a Truman Scholar. UW President Ana Mari Cauce shared the news with Fish on Friday. Photo: ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ

ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ junior has been selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the third consecutive year that students from the UW were recognized with this national award.

A highly competitive award, only 58 students were selected nationwide this year from more than 705 nominations. The recognizes aspiring leaders driven to make change at the systems level. Students are selected on the basis of leadership skills, demonstrated civic engagement, academic potential and a desire to pursue a career in public service. Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate school, mentoring and additional benefits to help prepare them for careers where they can make an impact.

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Rosalie Fish Photo: ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ

“We are very proud to see Rosalie’s outstanding leadership and advocacy work recognized by the Truman Foundation,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “In the classroom, in her community and on the track, she is helping to raise awareness of the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and we know she will continue to do great things with the support of this scholarship.”

 

Read more about Rosalie and watch a video of President Cauce telling her that she was selected as a Truman Scholar .

Fish, from Auburn, Washington, is a social welfare major in the School of Social Work and she participates in both the UW’s track-and-field and cross-country programs. She’s run a mile in 5 minutes, 2.51 seconds, the 1,500-meter in 4 minutes, 40 seconds and the 5K in 17 minutes, 49.91 seconds. A member of the Cowlitz Tribe and a descendant of the Muckleshoot Tribe, Fish dedicates her races to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and has generated national attention by painting a red handprint across her face and the letters “MMIW” on her leg during competition.

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Rosalie Fish participating in a track meet for Iowa Central Community College. Photo: Iowa Central Community College

“By being selected for the Truman Scholarship, it sends a message to Indigenous peoples everywhere that we belong in the social service profession. We have the power to act as leaders, world changers, and in positions of influence — despite the adversities and systemic barriers we face,” Fish said. “With this opportunity, I will continue to devote my life to Indigenous communities and to disrupt the cycles of victimization our people face. This means advocating for accessible housing, tribal sovereignty, environmental justice and universal health care. I will bring Indigenous voices and perspectives into policies that impact social welfare.”

She transferred to the UW from Iowa Central Community College where she also competed in track and cross-country, serving as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association Student-Athlete Council. In addition to painting her face, she’s advocated for Indigenous rights on and off the track. She plans to continue her advocacy by pursuing a Master of Social Work and a graduate certificate in American Indian Studies.

“Rosalie is committed to using her platform as a student-athlete to be a leader and create change. We celebrate her courage and are excited to continue to support her advocacy efforts,” said UW Director of Athletics Jennifer Cohen.

School of Social Work Dean Edwina Uehara added that she admired Fish for combining her academic studies and love for competitive running with her passion to advance knowledge about the plight of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

“We are proud of Rosalie’s leadership and commitment to raising the visibility about this devastating issue and humbled she is majoring in social welfare,” Uehara said.

Established by Congress in 1975 as a memorial to President Harry S. Truman and national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of the 33rd President of the U.S. by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders.

When approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, Truman asked Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar monument. For more than 40 years, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled its mission to inspire and support Americans from diverse backgrounds to public service.

This year’s 58 awardees join a community of 3,442 Truman Scholars named since the first awards in 1977. Fish is the 18th UW student to receive a Truman Scholarship since the award’s inception, according to the Truman Foundation.

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Three UW juniors selected as Truman Scholars /news/2021/04/14/three-uw-juniors-selected-as-truman-scholars/ Wed, 14 Apr 2021 20:59:03 +0000 /news/?p=73819
Three UW juniors were selected as Truman Scholars. Pictured here (left to right) are Chanise Jackson, Andre Jimenez and Naomi See. Photo: ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ

Three ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ juniors have been selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship, the first time since the program began in 1977 that three UW students were chosen in a single year. Two recipients, Andre Jimenez and Chanise Jackson attend UW Tacoma, and Naomi See attends the UW campus in Seattle.

A highly competitive award, only 62 students were selected nationwide this year for the Truman Scholarship from more than 845 nominations. The recognizes aspiring leaders driven to make change at the policy level. Students are selected on the basis of leadership skills, demonstrated civic engagement, academic potential and a desire to pursue a career in public service.

“Congratulations to all three of our outstanding Truman Scholars, whose leadership and dedication to advancing equity is so deserving of this extraordinary recognition,” said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. “Andre, Chanise and Naomi each embody the commitment to impact through public service and civic engagement that’s at the heart of our university’s mission. We are so proud to have these three scholars representing the UW.”

Scholars receive up to $30,000 for graduate school to help prepare them for careers in public service.

Chanise Jackson Photo: ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ

Jackson is a double major in law and policy and business administration. She is the Co-Chair (with Jimenez) of the UW Tacoma Global Honors Student Leadership Council and President of the Urban Debate Society. Originally from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Jackson developed a love for public service when growing up low-income and first generation meant relying on the community around her for needs, instructions, and hope alike. She is passionate about writing poetry, Lupus awareness, public service, human rights and activism. In her future career, Jackson wants to use her activism, experiences, and love for people to bring volume to the voices often silenced.

Andre Jimenez Photo: ÁńÁ«ĘÓƵ

Jimenez, who is from Tacoma, is a junior studying law and policy and minoring in global engagement. He hopes to pursue a law degree upon graduation. He currently serves as Co-Chair (with Jackson) of the UW Tacoma Global Honors Student Leadership Council and is the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences (SIAS) senator. He also serves as a Commissioner on the City of Tacoma’s Human Rights Commission, which studies, investigates, and mediates community issues that may result from discrimination. Prior to pursuing his undergraduate education, Jimenez worked in the non-profit sector as a fundraiser and development associate.

“I am incredibly proud of Chanise and Andre, and of the faculty and staff that mentored them,” said UW Tacoma Chancellor Mark Pagano. “They are UW Tacoma’s first Truman Scholars, and there have been only 17 in total at UW since the scholarship was created. We can all be proud that the Truman Foundation recognizes and values Andre and Chanise’s community-engaged work.”

Naomi See

See is a community environment and planning major from St. Louis. She works with the Low Income Housing Institute developing shelter and permanent housing, conducts research on housing for Microsoft and the UW, and is actively involved in community initiatives like the Youth Achievement Center and campaigns for expanded funding for dignified options for people experiencing homelessness. She says she hopes to pursue a graduate program and career that enables her to bring housing to the forefront of public consciousness and create systems that treat housing as a fundamental human right.

Established by Congress in 1975 as a memorial to President Harry S. Truman and national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of the 33rd President of the U.S. by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders.

When approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, Truman asked Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar monument. For more than 40 years, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled its mission to inspire and support Americans from diverse backgrounds to public service.

This year’s 62 awardees join a community of 3,384 Truman Scholars named since the first awards in 1977.

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