A version of this story originally appeared on the Honors College website.
Third-year James Madison College student Eleanor Pugh is one of two Michigan State University students named as finalists for the nationally competitive Truman Scholarship.
The Truman Scholarship, sponsored by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, recognizes students with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to affecting change through public service. It provides financial support for graduate study and leadership training for approximately 62 students each year.
Pugh is third-year Honors College student majoring in international relations through JMC and Russian through the College of Arts and Letters and minoring in economics, Muslim studies, and Russian and Eurasian studies. She earned a Boren Scholarship to study abroad in Kazakhstan in 2025 and was also a recipient of the prestigious University Distinguished Scholarship in 2023.
Lily Dixon, a third-year Honors College student majoring in arts and humanities through the Residential College of Arts and Humanities, and public policy through the College of Social Science, was also named as a finalist.
In early February, MSU nominated four students for this year's Truman Scholarship application cycle. Among those nominees was Chloe Francis, an Honors College and JMC student majoring in international relations and Arabic.
The foundation received 781 applications from 305 institutions for this cycle. Awardees will be announced in the coming months.