Posse Scholars Win Prestigious 2014 Truman Scholarships

In recognition of their outstanding leadership and commitment to public service, Posse Scholars Rana Abdelhamid and Karimah Shabazz won prestigious scholarships from the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Truman Scholars receive scholarships for graduate or professional school, leadership development training, mentoring, and employment opportunities with the federal government or nationally focused nonprofit organizations.

Rana, a Middlebury College junior from New York, is majoring in international politics and economics. She is the founder and president of Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment (WISE), a self-defense, entrepreneurship and leadership program that has reached over 150 women. She currently serves as Amnesty International USA’s student activist coordinator for the state of Vermont and co-chair of the National Youth Action Committee. At Middlebury, she serves on the Student Government Association, is a research assistant in the political science department, and is a fellow for the Center for Social Entrepreneurship.

Karimah, a Bard College junior from Atlanta, majors in sociology with a concentration in Africana studies. Through the Trustee Leader Scholar (TLS) Program, she co-founded the mentoring, tutoring and scholarship program Building Up Hudson. She has worked as a site director at Let’s Get Ready and interned with the nonprofit educational organization Global Kids. On campus, Karimah is a peer counselor and a peer mentor in the Bard Educational Opportunity Programs Office.

The Posse Foundation proudly congratulates Rana and Karimah on this honor. Since 2001, Posse Scholars and alumni have won over 175 major national awards and fellowships, including the Truman, Soros, Marshall, Gates, Watson, Beinecke and Fulbright.