Joshua Mannery, a junior double major in political science and English, has been named a finalist for the Harry S. Truman scholarship.
The Truman scholarship is a prestigious national scholarship which provides recipients up to $30,000 for graduate studies. The scholarship is awarded to students pursuing careers as public servants; past winners have gone on to work in the U.S. Supreme Court, all levels of government and the armed forces.
As one of 190 finalists, Mannery was chosen out of 773 applicants from 316 colleges and universities across the world.
“It reaffirms that everything I’m doing is making an impact, and people can see it,” Mannery said.
Originally, Mannery did not plan on applying for the scholarship, adding that he didn’t think he was worthy of receiving it.
Mannery attended a national conference on imposter syndrome, which explored the feeling of inadequacy. Following the conference, he told Ashleen Williams, Rachel Coleman and Kayci Kimmons – three of his inspirations for applying for the scholarship – that he was not going to apply because he didn’t feel deserving of it. They rebuked him, telling him that he had an important story to tell.
“I owe my biggest inspiration to those three and that conversation because I left that conversation saying that I’m going to try it even if I don’t get it. I went for it, and here we are,” he said.
Martin Fisher, someone who Mannery attributes much of his growth to, serves as the associate director of admissions for orientation and campus visit programs. He describes Mannery as a hardworking and dedicated individual.
“His actions are often motivated by the desire to make campus – or society in general – better for someone else,” Fisher said. “I’m amazed at all that he has accomplished in such a short amount of time.”
Fisher considers Mannery to be a model student leader who is committed to serving others, and he is proud to work with him. He hopes that Mannery receiving this scholarship will inspire other students to follow in his footsteps.
“He is extremely talented and driven and will undoubtedly have options for where he wants to land after college. I hope that wherever Josh ends up in the future, that he continues to empower and inspire others and pursue his passion for service,” Fisher said.
Mannery plans to attend the University of Chicago to study civil rights law after graduating from the university.
“I want to work with juvenile justice and youth development, like communal homes and youth centers, throughout Miss., Chicago and (Washington) D.C.,” he said. “I want to find ways to rehabilitate the youth caught up in the system and create alternative means to prevent more children from being caught up in the system.”
In 2036, Mannery would like to run for president, a dream he has had since high school. He said he understands that he will not accomplish that goal by being average.
“Even outside the significance of being president, having that goal keeps me on track. It grounds everything I do, making sure I don’t reach too high for the stars but also making sure that I’m constantly pushing myself,” he said. “(Becoming president) is the final natural conclusion to my story.”
Mannery will join other students from across the U.S. in Nashville on March 18, with hopes of becoming one of the 60 recipients of the scholarship. If he is selected, Mannery will be the university’s 16th Truman scholar and the first since Jaz Brizack was chosen two years ago.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be spotlighted a couple of times and get recognition for things I’ve done, but this is like a whole different ball game,” Mannery said. “Hearing faculty and staff members and students that don’t even know who I am saying congratulations has been really great. I couldn’t be happier.”
Winners of the Truman scholarship will be announced on April 15.
