Junior receives Truman award
Junior Saul Garlick was recently selected as one of 75 students nationwide to receive the 2005 Truman Scholarship for his leadership and commitment to public service.
The award includes $30,000 for graduate study, leadership training and special internship opportunities.
Now studying international relations with a concentration in American foreign policy in Africa, Garlick will start his graduate study at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies in the fall where he will continue to study foreign policy.
"I think having a true interest in public service, wanting to do something for the greater good and not just being interested in making money made my application stand out," Garlick explained.
He said he became interested in the Truman because "it's the one national scholarship geared specially towards civil service and leadership development."
"I think my leadership experience in particular made me eligible for the Truman," Garlick said.
At Hopkins, Garlick started the Student Movement for International Relief, a nonprofit organization with chapters at various universities across the country, was co-chair of the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium, and was founder and editor-in-chief of The Hopkins Donkey.
Applicants for the Truman were required to submit a policy analysis to be considered. Garlick's interest in policy issues in Africa made him a viable candidate for the scholarship.
John Bader, associate dean for academic advising at Hopkins, worked with Garlick on his application.
Bader said of Garlick, "Because he is a nice guy, he has been effective in a lot of different areas. He has found something that he really cares about -- namely that Americans don't understand the plight of Africans."
"My family is from Africa, and I have been there several times," Garlick said. "I feel it is the most neglected and misunderstood region in the world."
Garlick admitted that the application and the interview were the hardest part of the process.
"I think that the application was long and a huge time commitment as it included a personal statement and creating a policy proposal that you would like to implement," said Garlick. "The interview was also extremely intense."
After being nominated by Hopkins administrators to compete for the scholarship, Garlick went home to Colorado, where he was interviewed by a regional panel of five representatives, including a U.S. appellate court judge, the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, a U.S. Court of Appeals judge from the 10th circuit court, the president of the University of Colorado and a former Truman Scholar.
Garlick was the first Hopkins recipient of the Truman since Leo Wise won seven years ago.
"Typically the number of applicants for the Truman varies from one to six each year," said Bader, who has been disappointed with the number of students who have applied in the past for scholarships like the Truman, Rhodes and Marshall awards.
"It can be frustrating to get people interested in applying. To some extent I am running out of options," he said.
Bader described an "unhealthy ignorance on behalf of the students who are not paying attention to these opportunities or who think that they couldn't win."
Moreover, Bader complained of what he saw to be a lack of self-confidence among students, who do not realize their potential for winning awards like the Truman.
"One thing that concerns me most about this campus is that students have problems with self-esteem. A lot of students think they couldn't possibly win these scholarships," Bader said. "This is one of the great universities on the planet. But it has a problem appreciating itself. Part of my job is to convince students that they can win."
Garlick encouraged students who are interested to apply.
"Students should definitely [apply] even if they don't get [the scholarship] because you will learn a whole lot about where you want to be," said Garlick. "I learned more about Africa and my interests."
Bader hopes that Garlick will set an example for other Hopkins students to apply for the Truman and similar scholarships.
"Saul is a great guy but he is one of you," Bader tells students. "GPA is a terrible predictor of these things. Saul's energy, sense of humor, and willingness to learn from his mistakes made him stand out."
Bader added, "Actual people win these things. In the end it's not important if everyone wanted to apply, it's the attitude of 'Yes, I can do that' that is important."
The Truman Scholarship was initiated by the U.S. Congress in 1975 in the name of Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States.