CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Two students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have won Harry S. Truman Scholarships.
A transfer student from Parkland College in Champaign, Kory A. Langhofer of Urbana, Ill., is a junior majoring in political science and foreign languages. He is studying Chinese, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. At Parkland, Langhofer was involved in a chapter of the NAACP, and he also has been a long-term Big Brother/Big Sister mentor.
Langhofer plans to attend law school and intends to pursue a career involving foreign policy.
Craig A. Williamson of Robinson, Ill., is a junior majoring in honors biology. A teaching assistant in chemistry, Williamson has served on the executive board of the University YMCA Alternative Spring Break program. He traveled to Mexico in 1997 on his first service project. He also has been involved with Volunteer Illini Programs on campus.
Williamson intends to pursue medical and law degrees.
The Truman Scholarship Foundation this year selected 77 students from 65 U.S. colleges and universities as Truman Scholars. They were elected by 15 independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability and the likelihood of "making a difference."
The scholars were selected from among 590 candidates nominated by 287 colleges and universities.
Each scholarship provides $30,000 $3,000 for the senior year and $27,000 for graduate study. Recipients must be U.S. citizens, have outstanding leadership potential and communication skills, be in the top quarter of their class, and be committed to careers in government or the not-for-profit sector.
The Truman Scholarship program was established by Congress in 1977 as a federal memorial to the nations 33rd president.