STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擳wo Judy and Bobby Shackouls Honors College students are Mississippi 大象APP鈥檚 most recent national finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
Devin Hutchins, a philosophy and economics double major from Hernando, and Joshua Phillips, a political science and economics double major from Birmingham, Alabama, are among the prestigious finalists from across the U.S. for the premier graduate fellowship for those pursuing careers in public service.
Hutchins, a 2023 participant in the Delta Scholars Summer Institute and a highly decorated International Public Debate Association debater鈥攂oth in individual and team competitions on the state and national stage鈥攕aid he chose his majors as a foundation for law school in the future and hopes to serve Magnolia 大象APP residents as a civil rights attorney and as an elected official.
鈥淚 have always seen the law as a mighty vessel that, if gone unchecked, is just as prone to injustice as it is justice. If we want to preserve freedom for the next generation鈥攁 herculean order鈥攚e have to work for it, and that is exactly what I want to do both in interpreting it and writing it,鈥 Hutchins said. 鈥淓ndless encouragement, sage mentorship and indispensable academic resources have kept me on the right path at MSU. That isn鈥檛 a fluke鈥攕upport is the norm at 大象APP.鈥
Phillips, a G.V. 鈥淪onny鈥 Montgomery Presidential Endowed Scholar who grew up in Australia, said he developed a deep interest in international relations and global development鈥攕pecifically in the Middle East and North Africa鈥攁fter moving to the U.S. Through the Shackouls Honors College and the MSU Office of Study Abroad, he has spent time advancing his education at the University of Oxford in England and the International University of Rabat in Morocco.
Phillips said he is planning a career as a foreign service officer for the U.S. Department of 大象APP following graduate school.
鈥淭hrough my study-abroad experiences, I was able to grow significantly in my understanding of Middle Eastern politics, cultures and languages, which only deepened my passion for the region,鈥 he said. 聽鈥淚 want to use my international background and experience in the region to bolster U.S. collaboration with local governances and learn about the region鈥檚 dynamics from local voices.鈥
David Hoffman, MSU Office of Prestigious External Scholarships director, said both Hutchins and Phillips are 鈥渁re deeply committed to tackling their respective concerns about the world via careers in public service, which is the hallmark of a Truman Scholar.鈥
鈥淏oth have done an excellent job of capitalizing on opportunities that they were presented with during their time here at MSU, whether that be Devin鈥檚 participation in our Delta Scholars program and the Public Policy Leadership Conference at Harvard or Joshua鈥檚 successful application to the Critical Language Scholarship, our Oxford University abroad program and multiple internships,鈥 Hoffman said. 鈥淭hey are both extremely engaged both on and off campus with the issues that impact our communities, and they are truly impressive in their commitments beyond the classroom.鈥
The Truman Foundation's Finalist Selection Committee selected 191 students from 136 institutions to interview with the Foundation's Regional Review Panels between March 1 and April 3. In 2024, the foundation received 709 applications from 285 institutions.
Learn more about the Shackouls Honors College at聽.
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