A UW-Madison undergraduate became the 16th UW-Madison student Monday to win a prestigious Truman Scholarship.
The Truman Foundation honored Jeffrey Wright, a UW-Madison senior double-majoring in political science and international studies, with a $30,000 grant for graduate studies in any field.
The Truman Foundation, named after former president Harry Truman, honors students who plan to have a career in public service through the government, a nonprofit sector or education.
Wright said he looks forward to representing the university.
It's truly exciting and I'm just so honored to be among very bright students and alumni who received the scholarship,"" Wright said.
With a great interest in politics, human rights and public service, Wright said he has been pursuing his goals by involving himself in the service and leadership at UW-Madison.
He has served as chair of the Associated Students of Madison's Shared Governance Committee, conversational English volunteer in Greater University Tutoring Service, staff editor for Wisconsin Undergraduate Journals of International Studies and a member of the faculty honors committee.
""I think that all these experiences allowed me to put together a solid application for the scholarship,"" Wright said.
Wright has also interned for Gov. Jim Doyle and U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and the Arms Division of Human Rights Watch. He conducted research on immigration reform, carried out an independent study project focused on hip-hop and worked for the Transitional Justice Data Base Project under the UW-Madison Department of Political Science.
Julie Stubbs, director of Undergraduate Academic Awards Office, said Wright's long record of service and leadership on campus and his broad public service experiences and community show what a well-rounded student he is.
Stubbs said it is a ""big deal"" for UW-Madison to have had 16 scholars since 1975.
Stubbs attributes UW-Madison's success to how closely the mission of the Truman Scholarship supports the Wisconsin Idea.
The Wisconsin Idea describes education as an ""influence [of] peoples' lives beyond the university classroom,"" Stubbs said. ""I hope that Jeff's success encourages other UW students to apply.""
