Two juniors honored with national Truman Scholarships
Gillian Javetski
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: News
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Bailey serves as the chair of the Tufts Community Union Senate's Culture, Ethnicity and Community Affairs Committee. She is a Tisch Scholar and serves as the president of the Emerging Black Leaders student organization.
Nelson has advocated for the queer community at Tufts, working at the LGBT Center and with political figures. She is also a member of the Tufts Democrats and testified during last year's Primary Source scandal.
In a phone interview, Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser had praise for Bailey and Nelson. "Jen Bailey is a very exciting and enthusiastic bridge builder who is going to make a very big difference one day," Glaser said. "Nelson has been a very vigorous advocate of LGBT issues on campus and externally. She's also a force to be reckoned with, and I think that the interview committee must have recognized that within her."
The scholarship, named in honor of former U.S. President Harry Truman, is given to students who have shown promising leadership and a commitment to making a difference through public service.
Calling it the "Rhodes Scholarship of leadership and public service," Glaser said the Truman Scholarship is a very prestigious award that emphasizes qualities many Tufts students see as important.
"The Truman is the external scholarship that Tufts should be continually competitive in because we have some really terrific students who should be attractive to the [Harry S. Truman Scholarship] Foundation. They are looking for people whose future aspirations all tie together."
This is the second time that two Tufts students have been selected for the award in the same year. In the past four years, four Tufts students have been awarded the national honor, a marked increase from the five Tufts winners between 1977 and 2004.
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