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Shad White Photo by Kevin Bain |
According to the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, Truman Scholars are future "change agents" who have the passion, intellect and leadership potential to transform public entities for the better. As UM's latest Truman Scholar, Shad White is already making good on his potential.
The Sandersville native spearheaded a statewide campaign to make college textbooks more affordable. He organized voter-registration drives in the Mississippi Delta. He spent a summer working in an orphanage in El Salvador. Those efforts, and the promise of more to come, made White the 12th UM student to earn the prestigious scholarship.
"In my view, Shad is most remarkable for his follow-through," said Debra Young, assistant dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College. "He saw problems, he figured out what was causing them, he put together teams, and he delivered solutions that go right to the root of the issue."
White has been involved in the Associated Student Body, College Republicans and the UM Mock Trial Team. A member of Lambda Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi, White was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa and was awarded a Taylor Medal.
White's push for affordable textbooks ultimately led to a
bill in the Mississippi Legislature. The legislation would have required
textbook publishers to disclose their wholesale prices to consumers, but it
died in committee. As an officer in College Republicans, White
organized a regional seminar on education funding, envisioned it as
multipartisan dialogue and involved College Democrats and College Libertarians
in the process.
White, a senior political science and economics major and honors student, is one of 75 students nationwide to receive the Truman scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 for graduate school. After graduation, White will work in Washington, D.C., for a federal agency - another opportunity created by the Truman Foundation. He then plans to pursue a Master of Public Administration and a law degree.
"In the long term, I know I want to influence public policy, particularly in the fields of education, economic development and taxation," White said. "I have a passion for Mississippi, so I'd love the opportunity to come back and shape state policy here."