Buck Stops Here ... Again

Once again, a Baylor student has been selected for the prestigious Truman Scholarship. John Hill, a senior from Arlington, Texas, was one of 76 students chosen in March out of 635 applicants representing 305 colleges and universities nationwide. The scholarship, which is presented by the Harry S. Truman Foundation, provides $30,000 -- $3,000 for the student's senior year and $27,000 for graduate study. In 2002, Skye Perryman of Waco, a May graduate in economics and philosophy, was selected as a Truman Scholar. 
"The Truman Scholarship is among the most competitive honors an American undergraduate can receive, and I am thrilled that Baylor has its first back-to-back recipients," said Baylor President Robert B. Sloan Jr. "We produce students who are not only first-rate thinkers, but who also are engaged as leaders and servants in their communities and society. Both John Hill and Skye Perryman exemplify those characteristics, and it is a tribute to our community that they are both here."
Hill, who is working on a double major in political science and Russian, served as Baylor's student government external vice president last year. Concerned about engaging Baylor students with Waco-area programs, he initiated the One Book, One Waco citywide reading program and also serves as a mentor for seventh-grade students through the Waco Reads program. He is a member of the Alpha Chi and Golden Key honor societies.
"I have a passion to serve people and to build better communities," Hill said. "I feel that education is a central point in building better communities. Education empowers people, and I would like to enhance public education so that we may provide better and more quality instruction to students." 
Hill interned for the U.S. Embassy in Canberra, Australia, last summer and also has held internships with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and the American Academy of Diplomacy in Washington, D.C. He plans to attend law school after graduation and eventually would like to run for public office.