Success Stories

The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University has a solid record of placing students and recent graduates with competitive fellowship programs.

The Value of Applying

I consider the Truman Scholarship to be the great domino of my life, the triggering event that set off all the good things that have come my way since then.  During the application process, I worked with and grew closer to my professors as I refined my career goals, improved my writing and interview skills, and expanded my vision for my own potential as a public servant.  Winning the scholarship validated my values choices about how I invested my academic and co-curricular time during college and provided me with a network of peers and mentors in public service to support and guide my career. 

The credibility of a national scholarship undoubtedly helped me obtain admission to top schools, and I imagine it was a deciding factor for my admission to both the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and Stanford Law School, where I obtained MPA and JD degrees, respectively.  

I remain endlessly grateful to my education at St. Ben's, and particularly to the professors who invested so much time in my application, for the life-changing experience of winning the Truman Scholarship. 

Amy Hertel '99
1998 Truman Scholarship Recipient

Recent Fulbright Scholarship/Assistantship Recipients:

Joshua Hayes '97, Lindsey Runge '99, Brian Schnese '04, Sarah Miller '05, Bennett Frensko '06, Lew Grobe '06, Keith Spinali '06, Laura Wunsch '07, Mark Bublitz '07, Erik Hendrickson '07, Ryan Fader '07, Eve Vang '07, Carliene Quist '07, Robert Mevissen '09, Nik Nadeau '09, Matthew Beck '10

Recent Morris K. Udall Scholarship Recipient:

Karolanne Hoffman '03

Recent Upper Mid-West Human Rights Fellows:

Christina Clusiau '03, Brian Heilman '05, John Van Rooy '06, Jeffrey Morency '05

Other Fellowship Recipients

Misty Martinez '07, 2006 Urban Education Summer Scholarship, Cici Qiao '07 Friendship Beyond Borders Summer Program in Germany, Cody Fischer '07 Emerson Hunger Fellow, Andrea Carrow '09 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, Jeff Bandar '09 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Anna Schumacher '10 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship