Wildcat named Truman Scholar

By Will Wright

[email protected]

A political science junior and member of UK’s tennis team will be awarded $30,000 after being named a Truman Scholar for her work in public service.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards students involved in public service with a scholarship to help support the students through graduate school, according to the organization’s website.

Grace Trimble of Winchester, Ky., is the 13th UK student to be given this award.

“To me, the scholarship is so much more than the $30,000,” Trimble said. “There’s such a vast network of Truman scholars that are doing incredible things. I want to learn from them.”

When she was 17 years old, Trimble founded a nonprofit education program that tutored kids and taught them how to play tennis.

“(It) teaches them character and integrity,” Trimble said. “Ever since (creating the non-profit), I’ve always had a heart for service and bridging the gap between the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor.”

The program started with eight kids, she said, but expanded over the years to reach about 80 kids in the program at one point.

Children were tutored for one hour then taught tennis for one hour, she said.

“It’s not just about tennis and schoolwork,” Trimble said. The program also teaches kids to be dedicated to their studies.

Trimble was also part of a trip to Africa where she taught children how to play tennis.

The award may give Trimble an edge during the graduate school application process, she said.

“It takes a lot of pressure off of me, that’s for sure,” she said. “(I’m) trying to go to one of the best schools in the nation because of the scholarship.”

Trimble is planning to obtain a Master’s degree in public administration with an emphasis on nonprofit management.

She was one of 59 students from 52 colleges selected for the award this year out of 655 total candidates.

The last UK student to get the award was Corinne Keel in 2008.

“By some miracle I’m in this position,” Trimble said. “I’m very excited because this means when I put Truman Scholar on my resume … it may help me get into graduate school.”