Bennie named Truman finalist

The Truman Scholarship application is not for the faint of heart.

Applicants must receive a nomination from their institution and demonstrate not only a passion for a career in government, public service, or non profit work but also past service endeavors and a credible future plan to back up this passion.

The scholarship awards $30,000 toward graduate school, as well as mentorship and opportunities to connect with future careers in public service.

CSB junior Sydney Walker was up to the task.

Her preliminary application to CSB led to a nomination by the institution as an official applicant. After her selection by the school, she began working with Phil Kronebusch, coordinator of competitive fellowships at CSB/SJU, on her official application. Kronebusch serves as the Truman Scholarship Foundation Advisor for CSB/SJU. These advisors are tasked with recruitment of and assistance for applicants. Walker was selected as a finalist with 189 other students from a pool of 705 applicants from across the country.

The opportunity arrived on her radar as a first-year, though a few years elapsed before it resurfaced.

“It has always been something I was interested in, but I didn’t seriously consider applying until this fall,” Walker said.

She came at the application with renewed vigor this fall, and her prior experiences have prepared her well as a candidate. She is active in the local community, working with Upward Bound as a member of the CSB/SJU Bonner Leader Club. She has also served as a delegate for the 2020 Democratic National Convention in addition to completing volunteer work with state candidates in Minnesota and South Dakota, her home state.

Walker credits much of her success with the Truman Scholarship to Kronebusch and Claire Haeg, a political science professor who first introduced her to the scholarship.

“Without the political science department, especially Haeg and Kronebusch, I don’t think I would have known about the scholarship or committed to the process of applying,” Walker said. “I was also overwhelmed by the support I received from former CSB Truman Scholars and professors from various departments who helped conduct the practice interviews.”

In the weeks following the announcement of the finalists, Walker and Kronebusch worked together to prepare for the final stage of the process, a rigorous 20-minute interview. Walker completed the interview on March 25. Interviews are typically conducted in-person, with all regional finalists convening for a day of interviews conducted by the Regional Review Panel. However like many events, the interviews were held over Zoom this year. Now, all that’s left to do is await the results, which will be announced to the public on April 15.

If selected as a Truman Scholar, Walker plans to use the award to attend graduate school and pursue a Juris Doctor and Master of Education.

Her goal is to address education inequities, especially between Native and non-Native students in South Dakota. Regardless of the outcome, she is thankful for the experience.

“The personal and professional exploration I have completed through this process has made my effort more than worth it,” Walker said.