IES Abroad would like to congratulate Fall 2013 Galápagos Islands alum, Sarah Donohoe, who was recently awarded the 2014 Truman Scholarship from the Harry S. Truman Foundation. A junior at the University of Portland, Donohoe was one of 59 recipients of the prestigious scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 for graduate school.
As part of the extensive application process, students must be nominated by the Truman Scholarship Faculty Representative at their institution and submit a policy proposal, nomination letter, three letters of recommendation, and a transcript. Each year, the Truman Scholarship Foundation receives approximately 600 applications. Donohoe says, “A lot of what I wrote about in my essays for the application had to do with my study abroad.”
As the only scholar with a major in Biology, Donohoe is staunch in her desire to pursue research in conservation. She credits her semester in Ecuador as having “changed [her] heart for conservation,” having realized “how much you could lose by losing an ecosystem and, therefore, how important it is to keep ecosystems healthy.”
Donohoe also says of her experience abroad, “The professors were incredible. That was what made the classes.” When asked what her favorite memory was, she said, “We went to Leon Dormido for our second to last dive. All semester I hadn’t seen an octopus… We saw five octopuses. I got to put my face really close up to [one], stare straight into his eyes and see the pink rim around his iris.”
As a current intern for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Donohoe is passionate about inspiring societal change through scientific research. She plans to spend a few years working and traveling before beginning graduate school. This summer, she and her fellow scholars will travel to Missouri, the late President Truman’s home state, where Madeline Albright will present their awards.
Congratulations and good luck, Sarah!
