After writing almost a dozen essays and navigating many interviews, Natalee Deaette, LSOE ’19, found out this week that she was selected as a 2018 Truman Scholar. Deaette is Boston College’s 19th recipient of the honor.
A double major in applied psychology and human development in the Lynch School of Education with a minor in managing for social impact, Deaette is a McGillycuddy-Logue Fellow and has been involved in the Student Initiatives division of the UGBC, as well as the Montserrat Coalition.
Next year, she plans to continue her involvement in UGBC. She will also work as a coordinator for the Emerging Leader Program, a leadership program for a select number of freshmen that she said left a significant impact on her.
The Truman Scholarship Foundation, established by Congress in 1975 in honor of the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman, aims to cultivate the next generation of public service leaders by providing a scholarship of up to $30,000 that they can use toward a graduate program or their professional endeavors.
“I was always interested in graduate school, but I didn’t know how I would afford it,” she said.
After BC, Deaette plans to pursue a master’s degree in education policy and management.
Of the 756 candidates nominated by 312 institutions across the country in 2018, 59 undergraduates from 52 colleges and universities were selected as Truman Scholars.
Scholars are selected on the basis of academic achievement, leadership accomplishments, and their potential for public service. They also participate in programming over the summer at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Mo., to help prepare them for careers in public service and community leadership.
“It was a six-month application process, and I found out a lot about myself in the reflection required to work through those essays,” Deaette said.
The scholarship committee was expected to announce the results next week, so Deaette wasn’t expecting the news when she picked up her phone earlier this week.
“It was a Tuesday night, and I got a call from a number I didn’t recognize,” Deaette said. “It was Fr. Leahy calling to congratulate me. It was pretty incredible.”
For the past three summers, Deaette has worked for the Upward Bound program at Johnson State College in Vermont. The program prepares low-income, first-generation high school students for higher education.
Deaette participated in it, and is a first-generation college student herself. She views her current involvement in the program as a way to share her experience with others who share a similar background.
“I want to go back and assist students who have the drive to complete a higher education, but don’t have the resources to get there,” she said.
Featured Image by Lee Pellegrini / University Communications
April 18, 2018, 9:59 a.m.: This story was updated to reflect that Natalee Deatte is Boston College’s 19th recipient of the Truman Scholarship, not the 11th.
