Briana Payton ’17 and Daniel Teehan ’17 received the 2016 Truman Scholarship.
TheHarry S.Truman ScholarshipFoundation gives scholarships of up to $30,000 towards graduate school and further aid for career training programs and internship opportunities. This year, scholarships went to 54 students from 47 colleges and universities from around the country and were selected based on “academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders,” according to the Foundation's press release.
Payton noted that the Foundation’s mission of inspiring future leaders resonated with her.
“Being someone who is interested in making a change in society, is passionate about seeing social change and who has always been passionate about social change — but not coming from a family of Congress people or people who have Ph.D.s in policy — if I really want to learn how to navigate the different structures that I’m hoping to change, I could really benefit from being a part of a community of students who have similar goals and similar experience,” she said.
Payton is a sociology concentrator with certificates in African American Studies, American Studies and Spanish Language and Culture. She has served as president of the Princeton University Gospel Ensemble, vice president of the Black Student Union, a founding member of the Black Justice League and a team leader of Princeton Faith and Action. She is also a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and has led the Brooklyn College Awareness breakout trip.
“In order to affect the kind of change that I want, I need a better, more intricate understanding of the systems at play,” she said, adding that she hopes to use the scholarship to pursue a master’s degree that will allow her to work with nonprofits while being an advocate for large-scale, systemic change in urban communities.
Teehan said he applied because the Foundation aligned well with his future plans, which revolved around public service in addition to graduate school.
“The plan as of now is to spend some time after I graduate working, hopefully working abroad in the Middle East. And then come back and go to grad school, probably for journalism,” he said.
Teehan is a founder of Project Solidarity, is involved with Students for Prison Education and Reform and has volunteered with the Petey Greene Program. He is also one of the editors-in-chief of The Princeton Progressive and is an Orange Key Tour guide.
Payton and Teehan said that they received help with their application process through University Fellowship Advising.
Hanna Lee, associate director of Fellowship Advising and faculty representative for the Truman Scholarship Foundation, did not respond to a request for comment.
Payton accredits her scholarship win to her strong religious faith and spiritual guidance, and advises that younger students embrace their community and resources around them rather than tackling projects alone. She added that students should also be themselves when interviewing with the Foundation, and to be unafraid of vulnerability.
“I was honest about the fact that I don’t have it all figured out, which is really why I wanted the scholarship because I wanted a community that can help me to get where I’m going when I honestly don’t know how to get there,” she said.
Teehan noted that applying for scholarships, such as the one through the Truman Foundation, should align with interests and passions that students already have.
“When it comes down to scholarships and fellowships and whatnot, it’s really just seeing whether the sort of espoused values of the scholarship match what are already your interests, and not trying to match your interests to a specific scholarship when it comes to writing the application,” he said. “People who are interested in public service know that they’re interested in public service.”
“They value authenticity,” she added. “Yes, be confident. Yes, come up with a plan. Yes, think about what you imagine your future to look like.”
Payton added that honesty and passion was something that the Foundation valued when selecting scholarship winners.
“But at the end of the day just be honest about who you are and where you’re at… they’re in it to walk on this journey with us,” she said.
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