Two KU juniors selected as finalists for Truman Scholarship

Saif Bajwa and Sam Steuart were chosen for their exceptional leadership skills and commitment to public service.

KU juniors Saif Bajwa (left) and Sam Steuart (right) are finalists for the Truman Scholarship.

University of Kansas juniors Saif Bajwa and Sam Steuart have been chosen as finalists for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship for their exceptional leadership skills and commitment to public service. If chosen, Bajwa or Steuart will become the 20th KU student to be a Truman scholar.

“We congratulate our two finalists on being selected from a group of high-achieving students from across the nation, and we wish them the best of luck in their interviews,” said Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, KU Director for News and Media Relations.

According to the foundation’s website, between 50 and 60 U.S. juniors are chosen each year on the basis of four criteria: commitment to a career in public service, active involvement in campus or community service, excellent academic performance and the aptitude to become a “change agent.”

The highly competitive scholarship provides up to $30,000 in support for the recipients’ graduate studies.

Steuart, a double major in American studies and biochemistry and a minor in Spanish, said he would use the scholarship to help pay for medical school. Steuart’s primary focus is discovering how socio-economic status affects a person’s ability to receive healthcare and education. Among many other projects, Steuart is currently working on implementing a school-based health center at Topeka High School.

The school-based health centers would provide students and their families direct access to health care including physical health, counseling services, nutritional meals and information about insurance options, regardless of their socio-economic status.

“People’s health and educational outcomes are so directly correlated with each other. I want to be sure that we are equipping people to be healthy and to be educated if that’s the life they choose to pursue,” Steuart said.

Most importantly, though, Steuart hopes to empower individuals to take control over their health, and to ensure that no populations are rendered voiceless in the process.

Bajwa, a double major in political science and economics, hopes to use the Truman scholarship to go to law school. Ideally, Bajwa plans to work for the American Civil Liberties Union in litigation cases against the use of drone strikes.

He intends to bring more transparency and accountability to the government overall. He mentioned how the Trump Administration no longer has to tell the public how many people are killed in drone strikes or how many drone strikes they’ve conducted.

“That’s, in my opinion, the antithesis of democracy,” Bajwa said.

Bajwa has been involved in many public service projects, including Habitat for Humanity and ReStore in Kansas City. He also worked in the Johnson County Victims Assistance Unit, advocating on behalf of victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse.

He currently works as an intern in constituent services for Gov. Laura Kelly, where his main responsibility is trying to create a government that works for the people. 

Bajwa attributes his altruistic attitude to his upbringing and family background.

“My family is Pakistani Muslim and were first-generation immigrants. They had to suffer the tip of the hardships that immigrants who have to assimilate to this country face,” Bajwa said. “I've had the privilege of being somebody who has been able to benefit from that, but there's also thousands of other people who've been left in the dust. I feel like part of my responsibility is to help those people who have been less fortunate.”

Both Steuart and Bajwa said the Truman Scholarship application process served as an instrumental tool in realizing their motivations in pursuing public service, creating connections and reflecting upon their goals.

“I feel so much more equipped for my future. I actually have an idea of what I want to do and I know how I can do that,” Steuart said.

Steuart also made a point to credit his community for his accomplishment and for instilling the confidence they had in him in himself.

“It isn’t about the actions that I do — I definitely work hard — but it’s really about the doors that other people open for you,” Steuart said.

Bajwa and Steuart recently completed their final interviews and are awaiting the results that will determine if they are recipients of the scholarship.