Two students in Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service have won the Truman Scholarship, the most prestigious graduate scholarship for aspiring public servants in the United States. The students, Sinclair Blue (F’20) and Mena Mohamed (F’20), are two of just 62 students nationwide selected from a pool of 840 nominees. Truman Scholars receive $30,000 toward up to three years of graduate education and support from the Truman Scholars Association.
Planning for refugee resettlement
Mohamed will study international affairs and urban planning in pursuit of a career in refugee policy in the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration or in the Refugee Services Division of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. She hopes to combine these disciplines “to design more flexible urban environments that can mitigate migration movements precipitated by climate change and global conflict.”
“I chose to come to Georgetown for all the resources that the School of Foreign Service offered for students with multidisciplinary interests,” Mohamed says. “I also love being in D.C. with all the opportunities it has provided through internships and research, and have benefited immensely from being surrounded by communities committed to social change through my time here.”
Working toward food justice
A Washington, D.C., native who prefers gender-neutral pronouns, Blue will study public health and urban planning. They aspire to work with the DC Department of Health to address “the root causes of racial and socioeconomic health disparities” that create food deserts for marginalized people, which they witnessed growing up in the nation’s capital.
As a Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) participant, Blue says their favorite spot on campus is the GSP office. “It is empowering to know that there is a space where first-gen, low-income students can just relax and be ourselves on campus,” Blue says. “I chose to study at Georgetown because of the Georgetown Scholars Program. As a first-generation, low-income student, I knew I would need extra support. GSP has been integral in giving me the tools to be successful at Georgetown.”