Top image: Reese Lycan (second from the left) with a group of 2024 Truman Scholarship winners.
It’s been four months since Reese Lycan learned that she was the University of South Carolina’s 11th Truman scholar – four months since the dean of the Honors College, Steven Lynn, visited her medical anthropology class to announce her achievement. But to Lycan, the Truman Scholarship is more than an award: It is a gateway to her public service goals. She’s spent the last four months refining her plans and connecting with Truman scholars from around the country.
The Truman Scholarship provides $30,000 of graduate school funding for students dedicated to careers in public service. It is considered the most prestigious award for future public service leaders, but scholarship funding is only one aspect. New scholars are invited to attend the Truman Scholars Leadership Week, held in President Harry S. Truman’s home state of Missouri, to learn more about careers in public service and meet with members of the Truman Scholarship Foundation.
For Lycan, it was also an opportunity to reflect on her passion for serving rural communities in Appalachia as a medical mediator and to gain practical insight on her path to public service.
Throughout the week, hosted by William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, scholars participated in a range of activities, from community service projects to tours of President Truman’s presidential library to seminars focused on planning a career in public service and making intentional choices about graduate programs. The scholars also had the opportunity to work together to create a policy proposal. Lycan and her team collaborated to propose a plan for expanding rural broadband internet access. After creating their plan, the scholars presented their proposal to a panel of evaluators on the final day of the leadership week.
Lycan especially enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the other scholars on her team and brainstorm solutions. In her experience, one of the most impactful and inspiring aspects of the week was the community of Truman scholars themselves.
“‘Diverse cohort’ isn’t just a sound bite,” says Lycan. “It was meant in all aspects of the word.” Students represented ideologies from across the political spectrum, as well as a range of life experiences. “We had parents, non-traditional students... every person, every type of thinker was present.”
Though opinions, goals and backgrounds varied, a consistent thread of respect unified the group. “It was exciting and refreshing to engage a group in conversation where every person’s response was unique and thoughtful,” says Lycan. Discussions flowed at meal times and breaks as scholars asked one another about their plans and motivations — and, of course, their favorite Taylor Swift album. “Everyone was friendly and happy to be there, happy to know me.”
Throughout the week, the Truman Scholarship Foundation emphasized the importance of relationships, both professional and personal. Lycan noted the sessions that focused on preserving friendships throughout a career in public service, and by the end of the week, the newest cohort of Truman scholars knew that they had found a supportive community in one another.
It is this level of camaraderie, conversation and connection that inspires Lycan as she begins her senior year at USC. She plans to continue on her pre-med path but wants to gain more policy experience before medical school. Along the way, she strives to have conversations with others who have differing opinions and values the power of honest, respectful dialogues. Lycan believes that, when it all comes down to it, everyone involved in public service should share a common goal: to help the American people.
Her current plans are to work in Washington, D.C., after graduation to gain more public health policy experience before beginning medical school. Lycan’s dream scenario includes being a community-focused physician in rural Appalachia, forming connections with local populations and addressing their health concerns. The more distant future might also include a health advisory role, allowing her to influence a broader range of public health initiatives.
The exact path to these dreams might not be clear, but Lycan knows that — and it only motivates her further.
“I might not be the smartest person in the room,” she says, “but I know I can be the hardest worker, the best teammate, and I am not going to give up on my public service dreams.”