Fellowships Support Future Public Servants

September 14, 2020

The Office of Scholars and Fellowships (OSF) helps students explore and pursue fellowship funding opportunities. A number of fellowships, including the Truman ScholarshipPublic Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Program; and Public Policy Leadership Conference (PPLC) at Harvard University, are geared toward emerging leaders in public service.  Students planning to pursue careers in government, non-profit work, politics, educational leadership, and other fields that serve the public good are encouraged to consider these exciting opportunities. 

Seniors Gabe Josephs, TJ Tann, and Will Walker offered advice for UR students interested in public service fellowships.

headshotGabe Josephs, ‘21
PPIA Junior Summer Institute Fellow
University of Michigan - Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy

“The most memorable part of the PPIA program was the incredible, bright, talented, and policy-minded people who participated with me in the program and in whom I found kindred spirits.

“My advice for other students interested in public service has three parts: do the absolute best you can in all of your classes, taking care to pick classes that interest you; think deeply about what kind of policies you care about to such an extent that you want to change them and make them better; and focus on depth, rather than breadth, in searching for internship experiences in the policy field.”

headshotTJ Tann, ‘21
PPIA Junior Summer Institute Fellow
University of California, Berkeley - Richard and Roda Goldman School of Public Policy

“The most memorable part of PPIA was getting to know, collaborate and learn from both other fellows from around the country as well as the professors at University California Berkeley. The community built over the summer will definitely be a lasting one. 

“For anyone interested in Public Service I would encourage them to seek and apply for fellowships, internships and programs that allow development in hard skills such as data analysis, economics or whatever your focus field of public service is. The biggest thing honestly is to not be fearful of application pools and relentlessly pursue what you want.”

headshotWill Walker, ‘21
Truman Scholarship Finalist

“As a result of the Truman Foundation Scholarship application process, I have a firm grasp on what I want to do post-undergraduate. In preparing and submitting my application, I completed research on the inequalities in higher education and I had the chance to interact with really cool mentors and advisors. In addition to this, I also gained a great deal of personal narrative writing experience that has been helpful for other scholarship/fellowship/graduate school applications.

“The greatest piece of advice that I can give to future applicants is to start thinking and writing early. Although the application process seems straightforward, it's actually pretty complex and requires a lot of introspective reflection and future planning. By starting early, you really give yourself the time needed to draft and develop powerful, compelling statements.”

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More information about public service fellowships can found on the Office of Scholars and Fellowships website. Any student interested in the Truman Scholarship, PPIA, PPLC, or other public service fellowship opportunities should contact fellowships@richmond.edu.