The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards the prize to college juniors with a record of outstanding leadership and community involvement who want to pursue careers in public service.
Shepherd, a political science major who will graduate in May 2014, will use the scholarship to pursue dual graduate degrees in law and education from Stanford University.
“This award is less about me personally and more about the future of students coming from backgrounds similar to mine,” Shepherd said. “If education can bring me this far, education can bring a generation out of poverty. I hope this award will further show people just how far education can take you.”
A Hopkins County, Ky., native, Shepherd already has earned numerous academic accolades, including McConnell, Porter and Gates Millennium scholarships.
“Evan passed up a football scholarship to come to the University of Louisville and focus on academics” said UofL President James Ramsey. “That says a lot about Evan and his passion for learning and public service which are now being rewarded with a prestigious Truman Scholarship. We couldn’t be more proud of him.”
“Evan is extraordinary in so many ways,” said Patricia Condon, director of UofL’s Office of National and International Scholarship Opportunities. “He’s a top scholar, leader and activist who has worked hard his entire life and impresses everyone with his humility and purity of spirit.”
Ten UofL students have been Truman Scholars since 1977, the year the national program was launched, and Shepherd is the only 2013 scholar from Kentucky, Condon said.
