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Stanford Report, April 15, 2009

Truman, Luce scholarship recipients announced

Two Stanford juniors were recently awarded Truman Scholarships for graduate study in public service fields, and an alumnus working in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies was recently awarded a Luce Scholarship for an internship in Asia.

Truman Scholarship

Bethany Woolman and Daniel Shih have each won $30,000 Truman Scholarships, which were awarded to 57 college juniors in the United States and three students in Guam and Puerto Rico who are committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors, education or elsewhere in public service. The awards, established by the U.S. Congress in 1975, provide financial support for graduate study, leadership training and fellowship with other students who are committed to making a difference through public service.

Woolman, 22, from Albany, Calif., is majoring in comparative studies in race and ethnicity. She has a special interest in restorative justice and juvenile justice policy and has studied juvenile justice in New Zealand. Woolman said she will probably pursue a law degree and master's degree in public policy, but is also interested in film school.

Shih, 22, from Naperville, Ill., is majoring in political science. He is interested in creating political change through bottom-up, grassroots organizing. He has worked with a community organizing nonprofit group in San Francisco's Chinatown neighborhood, and took more than a year off from Stanford to work on Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Shih said he will probably pursue an advanced degree in law or public policy.

Luce Scholarship

Michael Chaitkin, an assistant to the co-directors of the Center for International Security and Cooperation at the Freeman Spogli Institute, was one of 18 Americans recently named Luce Scholars. The nonacademic program places individuals in 10-month internships in Asian countries.

Chaitkin, who will live and work in China and Singapore, plans to pursue a placement in which he can research—and potentially teach—a variety of international security issues, including war and peace, nuclear proliferation and terrorism, as well as nontraditional security issues, such as health and climate change.

Chaitkin, 23, is a native of Englewood, Colo. He graduated from Stanford in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in international relations and an honors certificate in international security studies.