Three Students Named as 2013 Truman Scholarship Finalists

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l-r: Nathan Coulter, Autumn Lewis, Rachael Pellegrino

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Three University of Arkansas juniors — Nathan Coulter of Little Rock, Autumn Lewis of Joplin, Mo., and Rachael Pellegrino of Hot Springs — have been selected as finalists for the 2013 Harry S. Truman Scholarship. All three are students in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and are members of the Honors College.

Being chosen as finalists places Coulter, Lewis and Pellegrino among the top students in the country. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation received 629 applications from 293 colleges and universities this year, and 199 students were chosen as finalists.

Truman Scholars are selected based on a commitment to public service and are awarded $30,000 in scholarship funds to attend graduate or law schools. The application process is rigorous and often requires more than 50 hours to complete. Candidates must also interview before the selection committee. Universities and colleges can submit up to four applicants each year. This marks the second consecutive year that three University of Arkansas students have been selected as finalists. 

“That three University of Arkansas students were selected as Truman finalists again this year speaks volumes about the quality of our student body,” said Sharon Gaber, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Their biographies are impressive, their accomplishments many, and their futures bright. We could not be more pleased for them, for the university, and for the state of Arkansas.”

Nathan Coulter is a graduate of Little Rock Central High School. He is a political science and economics double major in Fulbright College. Coulter is a member of the University of Arkansas Young Democrats. He was named director of National Student Advocacy for the Associated Student Government and will work with the state advocacy director to lobby lawmakers on issues that affect higher education and, specifically, the University of Arkansas.

After his undergraduate career, Coulter plans to seek a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Master of Public Service from the Clinton School of Public Service. He wants to work for a non-profit organization providing legal aid and advocating on behalf of low-income families. Coulter’s long-term plans are to enter politics, first by running for office as a state legislator. One of his main goals will be to help improve the academic preparedness of Arkansas students to help them better compete for college admission and for higher paying jobs.

Autumn Lewis is a graduate of Joplin High School and is pursuing a double major in political science and economics in Fulbright College. Following Joplin’s deadly tornado in spring 2011, Lewis was active in the successful campaign to pass a $65 million bond issue to rebuild Joplin schools, equalize the quality of the schools, and address overcrowding. She has also volunteered at a local clothing and food bank in Joplin since 2006 and spent four months working for the Missouri Department of Transportation on a seat-belt awareness project.

Lewis is chair of the Volunteer Action Committee Literacy Program, which addresses literacy skills at Northwest Arkansas elementary schools and establishes a one-on-one student to mentor ratio in the schools. She has been a volunteer reader herself since 2011, and as chair she increased the number of participating schools and student mentors while securing over $13,000 in funding to expand the literacy initiatives. In October Lewis participated, along with U of A administrators and students, in the presentation of over 1,000 books to the library at Whitten Elementary School in Marianna.

She is also co-chair of the university’s student Distinguished Lecture Series committee and was directly involved in bringing Jane Goodall, Steve Wozniak and John Legend to campus.

After graduation Lewis plans to join the Teach for America Corps for a two-year commitment teaching in a low-income urban or rural school district, before pursuing a Master of Public Policy degree from Georgetown University. Her ultimate plan is to work in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the Department of Education, working to improve academics and teacher quality in public schools.

Rachael Pellegrino is pursuing a degree in chemistry major with an emphasis in biochemistry and a degree in anthropology from Fulbright College. She researches ways to increase the stability of Human Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 (FGF-1), a protein that helps in the formation of new blood vessels and in wound healing. She hopes her laboratory investigations can be used to combat the growing percentage of chronic wounds caused by diabetes.

Pellegrino is the current chair of the Full Circle Campus Food Pantry at the University of Arkansas. In this role, she works with local retail chains for donations to address food insecurity among members of the campus community. In 2012, the food pantry received more than 25,000 pounds of donated items. Pellegrino is a vocal advocate for “shelf-stable proteins” such as canned tuna and chicken, cereal, soup, and pasta. This semester she and three other pantry team members will attend the Clinton Global Initiative University, an annual conference where students, youth organizations, experts, and celebrities come together to discuss and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges.

Pellegrino plans to pursue a medical degree and master of public health at Yale School of Medicine and hopes to address global health concerns through medical research and as a program director for an non-governmental organization. She spent a summer in Limpopo, South Africa, working on treatment strategies with individuals with tuberculosis and HIV. This summer she will intern with the United States Agency for International Development in southern or eastern Africa, or return to Belize to volunteer at a free health clinic.

“The University of Arkansas and the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Science are well represented by these three students,” said Fulbright College Dean Robin Roberts. “The college is very proud of their many accomplishments and of their positive impact on the campus and their communities. The Truman Foundation selects students based on their ability to make a difference. Nate Coulter, Autumn Lewis and Rachael Pellegrino are talented, dedicated individuals who will do just that.”

Recent University of Arkansas Truman Scholars include Catherine St. Clair, international business, 2005; Dwayne Bensing, political science, 2006; Olivia Meeks, political science and economics, 2008; and Mike Norton, agricultural business and poultry science, 2012.

In 2002, the University of Arkansas received the Truman Honor Institution Award for its commitment to assisting students interested in a career in public service.