For the second time in three years, a Grand Valley student is a finalist for the Truman Scholarship.
Nancy Hoogwerf is among the 193 national finalists from 136 institutions for the prestigious 2024 Harry S. Truman Scholarship. More than 700 applicants applied for the approximately 60 scholarships awarded, but Hoogwerf said she hadn’t considered it until a mentor suggested it to her.
"It is absolutely crazy but so amazing at the same time,” said Hoogwerf, the fifth Laker in school history to be named a Truman Scholarship Finalist. “I honestly can't even believe it. I didn't even look to apply for the scholarship.
“One of my professors, Laura Schneider, actually recommended that I apply. If it wasn't for her saying that, I don't think I ever would have applied, and I don't think I ever would have really understood my potential for this scholarship either.”
Hoogwerf, a junior studying political science, said it was Schneider’s PLS 102 class, “American Government and Politics,” that fostered her interest in politics and public service.
“If there was a class that could make or break my passion for political science in college, it could have been that class,” she said. “I had an amazing experience in the class, and it just put me on a great path.”
Hoogwerf’s fascination with politics began at an early age, she said. Growing up in a small town, Hoogwerf said the 2016 presidential election enthralled her as a middle school student.
“I just remember being so captivated by the way that people thought, and why they thought the way that they did,” she said. “It was just so interesting, and in 2016, it was the first time that a woman was in the general election to be president.
“Over the next four years, I had just grown to understand American government at its most basic form, but then also just really grew a passion for politics.”
