Four Named Truman Scholars

The Harry S. Truman Foundation will announce today that four Harvard undergraduates won the prestigious Truman Scholarship honoring juniors with superior records in community service and public policy.

Winners of the 1999 Truman Scholarships are Daniel B. Baer '00 and Gretchen A. Hoff '00 of Quincy House, Ilyana M. Kuziemko '99 of Currier House and Ari M. Lipman '00 of Mather House.

The 75 scholarship winners from colleges and universities across the nation will receive a $30,000 scholarship and participate in a Leadership Week in Missouri next May. The Leadership Week concludes with an awards ceremony.

Lipman, a social studies concentrator, said though he began his community service before college, his experience at Harvard has surpassed his high school record.

"In high school I organized a group of students who made sandwiches for the homeless, but the service opportunities at Harvard and in Cambridge are amazing--that's pretty much made my Harvard experience," he said.

Lipman began his Harvard community service during the First-Year Urban Program before orientation week. Since then, he has worked at homeless shelters such as the University Lutheran Shelter in the Square for programs affiliated with Phillips Brook House Association (PBHA). He also worked at the St. James Summer Shelter in Cambridge for two summers.

Since September, Lipman has been fighting with the Cambridge Eviction Free Zone committee in an effort to stop landlords from evicting lower-cost tenants so they can raise rents. He contacted state and city officials to help his cause. Because of Lipman's contributions, not one person has been evicted from his building and the first scheduled rent increases have been delayed.

Lipman recently began an internship at "Solutions At Work," an organization run completely by homeless people at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church.

Through this particular organization, Lipman said he hopes to motivate homeless people to improve their life situations by instructing them in reviewing care systems critically and in thearticulation of their arguments. He has plans tomake the organization politically active as well.

"We're trying to have a permanent guest councilat each shelter, to make them a little moredemocratic," he said.

Lipman said he intends to use the scholarshipfor his law school education. He plans oncontinuing his advocacy for thehomeless--especially helping homeless peopleimprove their own lives.

Those who have had the opportunity to work withLipman praise his dedication to the community.

"He's so passionate about the injustices thatpeople have to deal with that he gets visiblyangry," said Jennine B. Mozzarella '01, Lipman'sco-director at the University Lutheran shelter. "Idon't think I've ever met anyone who's asmotivated to make changes in the system."

Baer is a social studies and Afro-Americanstudies concentrator. He has been involved in theFranklin After-School Education (FASE), a PBHAprogram that works with elementary school childrenfrom Franklin Hill and Franklin Field, two housingshelters.

"He's great with the kids. He walks into theroom and they run over to him immediately," saidRoger J. Bartolotta '02, one of Baer's first-yearprefectees who also works with FASE. "But hedoesn't just let them do what they want. He reallywants them to learn."

Last year, Baer organized a series ofconferences for his eighth grade English teacher.The teacher brought a group of other middle schoolteachers to Harvard for advice on broadeningjunior high school curriculums.

Baer also organized meetings and lectures forthe teachers with Fletcher University ProfessorCornel West '74 and the late Professor ofJurisprudence at the Kennedy School of GovernmentA. Leon Higginbotham.

Bauer said he also plans on using hisscholarship money for law school.

Hoff, another social studies concentrator, saidher experience in Women's Studies 10c, "Gender andInequality," changed her perspective towardspublic policy and gender issues.

"It was a class that really changed the way Ithink about gender and strongly influenced mypolicy proposal," Hoff said.

Hoff is the director of the Women's LeadershipNetwork, which is part of the Women's LeadershipProject.

"We put out the two Women's Leadership Projectnewsletters each week," Hoff said. "We also hostpanels, forums and dinners with professors whichare designed to connect women to each other and tomentors and role models from the community atHarvard and beyond."

Hoff is also the co-House coordinator of theHouse and Neighborhood Development (HAND) programat Quincy House. Last summer she worked with theAcademy Homes Summer Youth Enrichment Program,which is a PBHA program.

After college, Hoff plans to continue hereducation and involvement with community service.

"I would like to spend a couple of yearsworking and then I am interested in getting adegree in public policy or government orsociology," she said.

"I'm interested in public advocacy. I'm alsointerested in teaching for America, the PeaceCorps, or traveling or working in Latin America,"she added.

Hoff is currently waiting for grant money sothat she can travel to Mexico City to performthesis research.

Kuziemko, an applied math and economicsconcentrator, sits on the student advisorycommittee of the Institute of Politics (IOP) andis involved with Harvard Model Congress Europe.

Molly C. Hogan '01, who has worked withKuziemko since October, at the University LutheranShelter through the IOP, said Kuziemko is bothdedicated to serving and to encouraging others toserve.

"She's an awesome person to work with," Hogansaid. "She's really good about finding peoplebecause she is so resourceful and is so willing tohelp out others."

Kuziemko could not be reached for commentyesterday.

The Truman Scholarship's application processconsists of three steps. First, hopeful applicantssought nominations by either their House tutors orconcentration advisors.

After obtaining the nomination, applicants nextinterviewed with Harvard and Radcliffeadministrators. Both Harvard and RadcliffeColleges are eligible to each nominate fourstudents for the Truman scholarship.

Finally, the nominees submitted a public policyproposal, presented letters of recommendation andinterviewed with the Truman program in their ownstates

"We're trying to have a permanent guest councilat each shelter, to make them a little moredemocratic," he said.

Lipman said he intends to use the scholarshipfor his law school education. He plans oncontinuing his advocacy for thehomeless--especially helping homeless peopleimprove their own lives.

Those who have had the opportunity to work withLipman praise his dedication to the community.

"He's so passionate about the injustices thatpeople have to deal with that he gets visiblyangry," said Jennine B. Mozzarella '01, Lipman'sco-director at the University Lutheran shelter. "Idon't think I've ever met anyone who's asmotivated to make changes in the system."

Baer is a social studies and Afro-Americanstudies concentrator. He has been involved in theFranklin After-School Education (FASE), a PBHAprogram that works with elementary school childrenfrom Franklin Hill and Franklin Field, two housingshelters.

"He's great with the kids. He walks into theroom and they run over to him immediately," saidRoger J. Bartolotta '02, one of Baer's first-yearprefectees who also works with FASE. "But hedoesn't just let them do what they want. He reallywants them to learn."

Last year, Baer organized a series ofconferences for his eighth grade English teacher.The teacher brought a group of other middle schoolteachers to Harvard for advice on broadeningjunior high school curriculums.

Baer also organized meetings and lectures forthe teachers with Fletcher University ProfessorCornel West '74 and the late Professor ofJurisprudence at the Kennedy School of GovernmentA. Leon Higginbotham.

Bauer said he also plans on using hisscholarship money for law school.

Hoff, another social studies concentrator, saidher experience in Women's Studies 10c, "Gender andInequality," changed her perspective towardspublic policy and gender issues.

"It was a class that really changed the way Ithink about gender and strongly influenced mypolicy proposal," Hoff said.

Hoff is the director of the Women's LeadershipNetwork, which is part of the Women's LeadershipProject.

"We put out the two Women's Leadership Projectnewsletters each week," Hoff said. "We also hostpanels, forums and dinners with professors whichare designed to connect women to each other and tomentors and role models from the community atHarvard and beyond."

Hoff is also the co-House coordinator of theHouse and Neighborhood Development (HAND) programat Quincy House. Last summer she worked with theAcademy Homes Summer Youth Enrichment Program,which is a PBHA program.

After college, Hoff plans to continue hereducation and involvement with community service.

"I would like to spend a couple of yearsworking and then I am interested in getting adegree in public policy or government orsociology," she said.

"I'm interested in public advocacy. I'm alsointerested in teaching for America, the PeaceCorps, or traveling or working in Latin America,"she added.

Hoff is currently waiting for grant money sothat she can travel to Mexico City to performthesis research.

Kuziemko, an applied math and economicsconcentrator, sits on the student advisorycommittee of the Institute of Politics (IOP) andis involved with Harvard Model Congress Europe.

Molly C. Hogan '01, who has worked withKuziemko since October, at the University LutheranShelter through the IOP, said Kuziemko is bothdedicated to serving and to encouraging others toserve.

"She's an awesome person to work with," Hogansaid. "She's really good about finding peoplebecause she is so resourceful and is so willing tohelp out others."

Kuziemko could not be reached for commentyesterday.

The Truman Scholarship's application processconsists of three steps. First, hopeful applicantssought nominations by either their House tutors orconcentration advisors.

After obtaining the nomination, applicants nextinterviewed with Harvard and Radcliffeadministrators. Both Harvard and RadcliffeColleges are eligible to each nominate fourstudents for the Truman scholarship.

Finally, the nominees submitted a public policyproposal, presented letters of recommendation andinterviewed with the Truman program in their ownstates