Southern Miss Deveneau Finalist for Truman Scholarship

For the second year in a row, a University of Southern Mississippi student is a finalist for the prestigious Truman Scholarship.

Lilianna Deveneau of Hattiesburg, a junior majoring in sociology and French, is one of only three students from Mississippi named a finalist this year. She will travel to Nashville, Tenn. March 7 to interview with the Truman Scholarship Foundation's Regional Review Panel. Last year, Southern Miss student Marie Holowach won the scholarship, the first speech pathology major to become a Truman winner.

Deveneau is a student in the university's Honors College. She is also a member of the university's Committee on Services and Resources for Women and Sociological Society (SOCiety). She is the daughter of Sherri Siddall of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc.

“Lili is so deserving of this recognition. She brings a passion to her service work that speaks well of Honors College students' commitment to social change,” said Dr. David Davies, dean of the Southern Miss Honors College. 

Named in honor of the late U.S. President Harry S. Truman, the Truman Scholarship is awarded to high-achieving college juniors who show commitment to public service and potential to continue that service beyond graduation. It provides up to $30,000 for graduate study in public service fields and leadership training.

This year, the Truman Scholarship Foundation received 587 applications from 272 colleges and universities, which were reviewed by the foundation's Finalist Selection Committee. The committee selected 191 candidates from 124 colleges and universities as finalists.

Davies said Deveneau's honor also reflects well on the work of the university's national scholarship officer, Robyn Curtis. “Robyn has successfully mentored so many students through the arduous application process necessary to compete for these awards,” he said. 

“We're very excited to have a Truman finalist this year after having a Truman Scholar last year,” Curtis said. “This year's pool of applicants was extremely competitive, which makes it especially noteworthy that Lilianna was chosen to advance.  She's working very hard to prepare for the interview in hopes of giving Southern Miss its first back-to-back Truman Scholars.” 

Students interested in applying for the Truman or other nationally competitive scholarships should contact Curtis at 601.266.4263 or email robyn.curtisFREEMississippi.

To learn more about the Truman Scholarship, online visit http://www.truman.gov/home