FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2001 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 DRAKE STUDENT NAMED TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP FINALIST Ajenai S. Clemmons, a junior at Drake University and a legislative assistant to Iowa Rep. Wayne Ford of Des Moines, has been selected as a finalist in the 2001 Truman Scholarship competition. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards merit-based $30,000 scholarships to college students who plan to pursue careers in government or elsewhere in public service, and wish to attend graduate or professional school to help prepare for their careers. This year, 589 students were nominated for Truman Scholarships. Clemmons is among the 202 chosen as finalists from 144 colleges and universities. The foundation expects to award 75 to 85 Truman Scholarships this year. Clemmons, a resident of Greenwood Village, Colo., will be interviewed March 28 in Denver along with several other finalists. If she receives a Truman Scholarship, Clemmons will become the seventh Drake student to be named a Truman Scholar since 1990. Drake's most recent Truman Scholar is Sheila McCoy, a senior from Merrill, Iowa. "I am elated, excited and a bit nervous moving into this final stage," Clemmons said of her selection as a Truman Scholar finalist. "It is truly an honor to have made it this far, and the tremendous amount of support here at Drake has made the news all the more sweet." "The Truman Scholarship is the most prestigious scholarship in the United States," said Julian Archer, professor of history and the Truman faculty representative on the Drake campus. "Being a Truman Scholar is comparable to being a Rhodes Scholar in England." Clemmons is a 1997 graduate of Cherry Creek High School in Greenwood Village, Colo. At Drake, she has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.7 while majoring in international relations and history. Professor Archer describes Clemmons as "an individual who is incredibly focused and has such a delightful determination to succeed on a variety of fronts." For example, he said, "She organized a forum on racial issues that took place on campus last year and is now planning a follow-up forum this spring. She also tutors children at the Drake Community Center and serves as a legislative assistant to State Rep. Wayne Ford. She doesn't just talk about doing something to end racial disparity, but actually gives of herself to achieve that." Clemmons is vice president of the Drake Honors Council and cultural chair of the Drake Coalition of Black Students. She also is a member of the executive board of the following organizations: the Committee for Black History Month, the Drake History Society, La Fuerza Latina and the American Association of University Women. She is former president of the International Relations Organization at Drake and a past member of the Drake Gospel Choir. In addition, she has been involved in community service, delivering food to the homeless with the Salvation Army, helping Latino high school students develop leadership skills and reading textbooks aloud so they can be recorded for students with disabilities. Clemmons has received numerous scholarships and awards, including the Drake Multicultural Achievement Grant, the Martin Luther King Achievement Grant and the Provost Book Scholarship Award. She also was selected by the director of the Honors Program to give a presentation at a regional conference in Eau Claire, Wis. She is a member of numerous honor societies, including Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Alpha Theta, Phi Sigma Iota and Omicron Delta Epsilon.