Kara Pipoli ’07 Among Truman Scholarship Finalists

Kara M. Pipoli, a junior at the College of the Holy Cross from Chester, Conn., is one of 243 finalists in the Truman Scholar national competition. The prestigious scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 for graduate study, receives about 600 applications each year for 70 scholarships.

Students selected for Truman Scholarships plan to embark on a career in public service, whether in government, uniformed services, public-interest organizations, nongovernmental organizations, public-service oriented nonprofit institutions (such as those intended to help the needy or disadvantaged or to protect the environment), or educational institutions. Nominations must come from the students’ college. Important criteria are not only academic excellence, but also significant service and leadership that give confidence that the student will be an "agent for change" in their future career.

Pipoli is pursuing a self-designed major in sociology and women’s and gender students, through the College’s Center for Interdisciplinary and Special Studies. A member of the highly selective College Honors Program, she has been visible on campus as a leader of the Student Government Association where she is currently Director of Gender Concerns. She has also been a resident assistant, a SPUD volunteer at Abby’s House, and works as a tour guide for the Office of Admissions. Last year, she was a principal force behind SGA’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, responsible for all campus-wide programming.

Last year, she participated in the College’s Washington Semester Program, where she worked as an intern at Emily’s List, the grassroots political network dedicated to recruiting and funding viable women candidates for local, state, and federal offices. She also was a summer intern at the Connecticut Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. She says it was her work there that helped set her education and career choices.

"I knew then that I wanted to pursue a graduate degree and a career focused on women's issues," she said, adding that her Holy Cross experiences have given her "wonderful opportunities" inside and outside the classroom. "My past internship at Emily’s List through the Washington Semester Program was one of the most incredible experiences. I was able to work around phenomenal men and women committed to women’s advancement. With every new class and internship, my passion grows. I hope that the Truman scholarship will be my next step in achieving my goals for law school and a career working for women through a government agency, commission, or non-profit."

Truman Scholars will be announced on March 28.