Senior sociology major Nicole Manglona Torres wins 2010 Truman Scholar award.
Nicole Manglona Torres,
a graduating senior majoring in sociology with a minor in legal studies at the University of San Francisco, has been named a 2010 Truman Scholar.
Torres, the first
USF Truman Scholar since 1997, was overwhelmed with emotion when Jennifer
Turpin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and incoming USF provost,
stopped into class March 29 to surprise Torres with news of her achievement.
"The Truman
Scholarship is a tremendously competitive and prestigious national award and we
are very proud of Nicole's achievement,” Turpin said.
Each year, the
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation chooses from among an estimated 600
applicants nationwide who exhibit exceptional leadership potential and are
committed to careers in government, the nonprofit or advocacy sectors,
education, or elsewhere in public service. From those, about 60 are selected to
receive scholarships worth up to $30,000 for graduate study, leadership
training, and fellowship with other students who are committed to making a
difference through public service.
Torres, a native
of Saipan, part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI) in the Pacific Ocean, is an indigenous Chamorro whose passion
for issues that affect the poor and disenfranchised are informed by her
ancestors’ struggles to obtain cultural and economic independence.
“Since coming to
USF, Nicole has distinguished herself as one of the most talented students in
the (College of Arts and Sciences) and the university as a whole,” said Patrick
Murphy, politics professor and Truman Scholar faculty sponsor to Torres.
Torres’
extensive community service includes volunteering at Glide Memorial Church,
where she helps San Francisco’s poor and homeless, tutoring Oakland high school
students, and serving as co-president of the USF club San Quentin Alliance for C.H.A.N.G.E.,
a student group that seeks to help incarcerated men assimilate back into their
communities as constructive and productive members of society – all while maintaining
an A grade-point average.
She has also
volunteered with the CNMI public defender’s office and with Legal Services for
Prisoners with Children in San Francisco.
She plans to use
the scholarship to attend law school, eventually returning to Saipan to work in
the public defender’s office on cases involving voters rights, land ownership,
and wage disparity.
Torres also plans to continue the Chamorro
tradition of cho’gue i’maulek para otro-to, “do good for others,” through
service. Chief on her to-do list is rekindling her relationship with her high
school alma mater as coach of the mock trial team – where she was first exposed
to law – helping to prepare high schoolers for college entrance exams, and
working with the local bar association to increase support and scholarships for
university-bound Pacific Islanders.
