The Harry S. Truman Foundation this week announced it will award one of seventy $30,000 scholarships to third-year College student Brad Barnett, the 20th University student to receive the prestigious scholarship.
Established by a 1975 congressional memorial, the Truman Foundation awards scholarships to college juniors for their academic excellence and commitment to public service. The scholarship offers money for graduate school education that will further lead them to service, said William M. Wilson, assistant dean of the College and a Truman Foundation faculty representative.
The foundation is "looking for change agents to reform the way government and non-profit organizations serve the disadvantaged or protect resources," said Louis H. Blair, executive secretary of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship foundation.
Barnett, who is an Echols scholar and interdisciplinary major from Clifton, Va., won the award due to his "total dedication and understanding of the homeless situation," Blair said.
Working with Madison House his first year, Barnett started Cavs Care, which performs volunteer work at local shelters.
Through his work with Madison House, Barnett said he has seen a correlation between mental illness and homelessness.
He hopes to see an adequate solution to the problem by ensuring funding for homeless housing programs and support groups as well as restructuring health care needs for the mentally ill.
"Brad is an absolutely first-rate student who's done truly amazing work with the homeless," Wilson said.
Barnett was one of 592 candidates nominated by 303 colleges and universities across the country.
Selection panels evaluated students based on leadership potential, intellectual ability, communication skills and the likelihood that they would "[make] a difference," Blair said. Recipients also had to rank in the top quarter of their class.
Barnett plans to take a year off after he graduates this May to research at University Hospital and later hopes to work at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis before starting medical school, he said.
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