A University of Oregon junior has been named a finalist for the highly competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
Violet Ashley, from Portland, is majoring in journalism and philosophy. She was in Seattle March 9 for finalist interviews. She is one of 198 students from 136 institutions to be named finalists, out of 781 applicants.
“I feel like just being a finalist has validated me in a way that I haven’t considered before,” she said. “It’s an incredible testament to all the places and people I’ve gotten to learn from.”
Each year the Truman Foundation awards about 60 scholarships to college students who have demonstrated leadership in public service and provides them with up to $30,000 for graduate studies in pursuit of public service careers. Students must have a record of campus and community service, outstanding communication skills, and a strong academic record.
Scholarships for UO Students
The Office of Distinguished Scholarships provides comprehensive advising and guidance to students and recent alumni who are interested in exploring and applying to highly competitive national and international scholarships and fellowships to support graduate study and career pathways.
A directory of distinguished scholarships and a list of UO distinguished scholarship recipients and finalists are available on the office’s website. Students and their mentors are encouraged to contact the office at urds@uoregon.edu.
The scholarship also includes a week of leadership training and an optional summer institute. Truman Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of their graduate degrees.
Ashley has been involved with many student organizations on campus since her freshman year.
“I feel like student organizations let me connect with my peers in a way that I wouldn’t be able to do with just my friends,” she said. “I started going to clubs and organizations as soon as I got to campus. I knew it was going to be as big for my college education as my classes.”
She has been involved with Students for Justice in Palestine, heading up the design team and helping to plan events; the Human Right Center Coalition; and OSPIRG Students.
Ashley has worked on the campus publications Flux Magazine and Ex Animo Undergraduate Philosophy Journal, and she’s freelanced for the Highway 58 Herald, a community newspaper in Oakridge.
She also hosts a show on the campus radio station, KWVA, called “In 'n’ Out of Grace.” She goes by Ms. 45, plays all genres, and never plays the same song twice.
In 2024, she was one of just 25 undergraduates accepted into the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics Scholars Program. Participants take part in specialized seminars that engage in big questions around governance, justice, and democracy.
Last year, she represented the UO at the Young Diplomats Forum in Brussels and the Oxford Consortium for Human Rights at Sonoma State University in California.
David Ewald, professor of practice in the School of Journalism and Communication, had Ashley in his first-of-its-kind course on hostage diplomacy and said she distinguished herself “as a student whose strengths reflect a clear dedication to service and civic responsibility.”
“Her work consistently brought clarity and momentum to discussions that could have easily become overwhelming,” Ewald wrote in a letter of recommendation. “She connected ideas across journalism, policy, and human rights, and her writing demonstrated curiosity, strong analysis, and a willingness to engage with difficult material.”
After she graduates UO, Ashley would like to attend Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland to pursue a master’s degree in conflict transformation and social justice. After graduate school, she is interested in volunteering with the Peace Corps. Ultimately, she wants to use the skills she’s gained studying and practicing journalism to work for an organization that advances human rights or peacebuilding.
“I really believe in the idea of journalism as a public service,” she said. “Journalism is a necessary connector between regular people and broader issues that happen. The more we know each other and the more stories that are told, compassionately, the more compassionate we’re going to be to each other.”
— By Tim Christie, Office of the Provost Communications