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Claire T. Markgraf '06 Wins Truman
Occidental College junior Claire T. Markgraf of Portland, Ore., has been selected as a 2005 Truman Scholar, one of 75 college students selected nationwide for their leadership potential, intellectual ability and likelihood of “making a difference.”
Each Truman Scholarship provides $32,000 for graduate study. Markgraf, who is double majoring in politics and studio art at Occidental, said she plans to pursue a master’s degree in public policy and urban planning with an emphasis on urban design.
“I am committed to the environmental, health and economic well-being of urban areas and believe that I can best affect change in the world by working on urban planning issues,” she said. “Promoting the creation of comprehensive urban development plans in burgeoning cities and helping to establish solid infrastructure upon which to build sustainable growth is one of the most important ways to address social and health problems on a systemic level around the world.”
This year’s scholars were chosen from among 602 candidates nominated by 299 college and universities.
“More than offering me a chance to go to graduate school, the Truman Foundation plugs me into a network of socially motivated and interested people who will work for social change in different areas of public policy,” Markgraf said. “I’m excited by the opportunity to connect with this group and share our ideas and experience.
Markgraf is the 11th Occidental student to win the Truman Scholarship. She is editor-in-chief of the Occidental Weekly and is currently an intern with the American Association of Retired Persons. Markgraf previously received a Ford Research Grant to study the political work of Mexican muralist Diego Rivera and with a Richter ASP Grant, studied media monopolies in Italy. As a junior at LaSalle High School in Portland, Markgraf was a page in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Harry Truman Scholarship Foundation is based in Washington, D.C. and serves as a memorial to the nation’s 33rd president. Former Truman scholars serve as managers of government programs, legislators and aides, foreign service officers, teachers, staff members in policy analysis and research organizations, attorneys for government agencies, public defenders, professors, and professional staff in advocacy organizations and not-for-profit institutions.