UMaine Junior Wins Truman Scholarship
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — A University of Maine junior from Hampden is one of just 65 college students announced recently as the 2008 Truman Scholars. Erin McKenzie, an accounting major who served ten years in the Air Force before enrolling at UMaine, is an aspiring attorney who plans to practice family law. Her career interests relate specifically to family advocacy programs and policies concerning children’s education and opportunities for those with developmental disabilities.
“The Truman Scholarship is one of the most sought after and prestigious awards of its kind in the nation.” says Prof. Timothy Cole of the UMaine political science faculty, the university’s Truman Scholar faculty representative. “For a student to be named a Truman Scholar, she must not only have an exemplary scholastic record but must also hold up to a rigorous if not withering interview process, all in the context of a pool of candidates with great talents and drive. To win, a student has to have a compelling case, and Erin clearly fit this description. When her application left campus, I had a very good feeling about her prospects.”
McKenzie is UMaine’s second Truman Scholar, following 1998 awardee Scott Labby. Some 595 students from all around the U.S. applied for 2008 Truman Scholarships.
The Harry Truman Scholarship Foundation looks for juniors “with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, education or elsewhere in public service.” The foundation provides scholars with financial support for graduate study or other purposes, aimed at students who plan to make a difference through public service.
Now in its 30th year of awarding scholarships, the foundation was created by an act of Congress in honor of President Truman.
The granddaughter of an accountant, McKenzie graduated from Soughegan High School in Amherst, N.H. in 1994. After a year-and-a-half in the workforce, she joined the U.S. Air Force, working in accounting and finance for ten years and gaining the rank of technical sergeant. After leaving the Air Force in February 2006, McKenzie worked for J.S. Sewall Company in Old Town until enrolling full-time at UMaine. She is currently a member of the Air National Guard.
“This scholarship opens up new opportunities for me, and makes possible my dream of attending law school,” McKenzie says. “The Truman Foundation’s principles are in line with my own. I have long planned on working in public service, and the foundation’s support, which I appreciate very much, will help me accomplish that goal.”
McKenzie lives in Hampden with her four-year-old son Connor. She is on schedule to graduate from UMaine in May 2009.