Step.- Sarah Mickelson, a political science major at the University of Texas at El Paso, has been selected as a 2023 Truman Scholar. The Truman Scholarship is widely regarded as the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States.
“Sarah is so deserving of this award because of her vision and hard work,” said Charles Boehmer, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and UTEP Truman Scholarship Representative. “This is a wonderful achievement that is, as UTEP President Heather Wilson put it, ‘a big deal’ for Sarah and the University.”
Born and raised in Soldotna, Alaska, Mickelson is an aspiring public defender who aims to provide strong legal representation for members of her home community. She is currently earning her bachelor’s degree in political science while serving as Attorney General for the Student Government Association and Executive Assistant for IGNITE at UTEP, an organization that aims to promote and facilitate women’s participation in law and politics. After graduating in May, she plans to attend law school and then return to Alaska to serve as a public defender in Anchorage.
Mickelson, who is also one of UTEP’s Top Ten Seniors for Spring 2023, is the university’s first Truman Scholar since 2006, and one of 62 new scholarship recipients selected from more than 700 applicants from colleges and universities. from the US Awardees were chosen for their academic success and achievements, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders.
Each Truman Scholar receives funding for graduate study, leadership training, career counseling, and special internship and scholarship opportunities within the federal government.
“I applied for the Truman Scholarship because of your support for people like me who are dedicated to public service,” Mickelson said. “By applying, I learned a lot about myself and solidified my decision to serve Alaska as a public defender.”
Mickelson added that she was very grateful for the support and encouragement she received during the application process from the UTEP Office of Student Scholarships and Awards.
“Sarah took the time to create an app that really told the story of her educational, professional and personal development,” said Jen Green, director of the scholarship office. “Applying for prestigious scholarships is about knowing hers ‘Why?’ and communicate it to others, which Sarah certainly did.”
Mickelson and the rest of this year’s cohort join a community of 3,504 Truman Scholars nominated since the awards began in 1977. Congress created the program in 1975 as a living memorial to President Harry S. Truman.
About the University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is the leading Hispanic university in the United States. Located in the far west of Texas, where three states and two countries meet along the Rio Grande River, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic and half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 169 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs at the only top-tier open access research university in the United States.
