MSU Student Is Truman Finalist

STARKVILLE, Miss.–A Mississippi State political science and mathematics double-major from Flowood is a finalist for the nation’s most prestigious scholarship for students committed to public service.

University senior Jamie A. Aron interviews March 16 in Nashville, Tennessee, in hopes of becoming the land-grant institution’s 17th Harry S. Truman Scholar.

A 2012 Jackson Preparatory School graduate and the daughter of James Aron and Sandra Gilmer, Aron is a member of MSU’s Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College. Selected as a freshman for the Distinguished Scholars program, she also has been awarded the John and Rene Grisham Presidential and Haley Barbour scholarships.

Aron is among four from the Magnolia State on a list of some 200 Truman Scholar finalists representing 135 institutions of higher learning. She and others selected for interviews are among nearly 700 that applied.

Annually presented to between 55 and 65 students, the highly-coveted academic and leadership recognition provides $30,000 in graduate-study expenses. All those selected make a commitment to public service after completing their degrees.

Established in 1975, the Washington, D.C.-based Truman Scholarship Foundation serves as a living memorial to the nation’s 33rd president. Supporting the graduate education and professional development of young people committed to public service and leadership are its primary missions. For more, visit www.truman.gov.

“I would not be who I am today without the support and encouragement of the people at Mississippi State,” Aron said. “Being a Truman finalist is not only an honor for me, but also is an honor for the students, faculty and leadership who have meaningfully impacted my growth in the past few years.

“I can think of no place better to learn how to engage in public service than here at MSU,'” she added.

In expressing gratitude for support received throughout her collegiate career, Aron gave a special thanks to her parents, brothers and friends. She also cited five individuals at MSU, including President Mark E. Keenum and wife Rhonda Newman Keenum; Tommy Anderson, Presidential Endowed Scholars mentor; Brian Shoup, assistant professor in the political science and public administration department; and Chris Snyder, honors college dean.

In the MSU Student Association, she serves as co-director of community and governmental relations. In 2013-14, she was a member of the campus President’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Aspiring to one day work for the State Department and United Nations, Aron created and led MSU’s first Women Empowered Leadership Conference. Held in July, the five-day program encouraged female high school students to pursue higher education and become strong and impactful leaders on the community, state and national levels.

For more biographical information on Aron, see www.msstate.edu/web/people/detail.php?id=382.

Anderson, who also directs the university’s Office of Prestigious External Scholarships, praised Aron’s ability to “combine the intellectual curiosity of a true scholar with uncommon leadership and civic responsibility.”

“Jamie has worked diligently during her time at MSU to be a change-agent in her community, and her passion for making a material difference in the lives of young women at the university, in the region and across the globe is inspiring,” the associate professor of English added.