Maddison “Maddi” Schink ’23 has won a 2022 Truman Scholarship, the premier graduate scholarship for students interested in public service. She was selected from 705 candidates and is one of 58 awardees this year of the prestigious honor. Truman Scholars are selected because they demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful for the opportunity to join the community of Truman Scholars,” she says. “It means a lot to both me and my family that I will be able to use this scholarship to further my education, grow as a leader, and give back to the communities I care about.”
The scholarship, inspired by President Harry S. Truman and established in 1975, provides $30,000 for the graduate school of the scholar's choice, leadership training, career counseling, and internship and fellowship opportunities in the federal government as stepping stones to public service leadership.
Schink, a native of Fort Collins, Colorado, is majoring in environmental studies and minoring in education. She recognizes that she’s luckier than those who haven’t spent their lives connecting with nature as she has, and she plans to change that. She wants a career that addresses and alleviates the inaccessibility of environmental education as she advocates for policy changes that will protect Earth for future generations.
Schink plans to take a year off before graduate school. She hopes to live abroad so she can engage in public service and continue to grow professionally. She also hopes to take advantage of the Truman Foundation’s Summer Institute where scholars intern with a government agency or nonprofit in Washington D.C. the summer after they graduate.
Schink also makes sure to recognize those who helped her achieve the honor of becoming a Truman Scholar.
“I am deeply appreciative of everyone — family, friends, and faculty and staff at CC — who helped me get here,” she says. “I know that I couldn’t have made it to this point without all of their guidance and support along the way. It is truly a team effort.”
Read more about Maddi Schink and how Colorado College has helped her pursue her goals.