East Panhandle Times

Chloe Bailey is Truman Scholarship finalist

Shepherd University political science major Chloe Bailey is one of 199 students from 133 institutions across the country selected as a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Foundation’s 2023 Truman Scholarship.  

Bailey, a senior from Red House, West Virginia, is one of four college students from the state in the finals. She first learned about the Truman Scholarship her freshman year at Shepherd and made it her goal to apply.  

“It’s really exciting,” she said. “To get this far is a huge accomplishment. I hope to be the first from Shepherd to be a Truman Scholar.” 

Among her accomplishments are interning at the West Virginia State Capitol for the Senate Judiciary Committee and Secretary of State’s Office. Bailey is the first Shepherd student to earn the Judith A. Herndon Fellowship to intern at the West Virginia State Capitol, which she did during the spring 2022 semester. She also interned in West Virginia U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s Washington, D.C., office.  

“Those are experiences that not many can say they have,” Bailey said. “I am from a small high school, a small county, and then I’m the only West Virginia finalist this year who’s from a university that’s not West Virginia University. I think the experience I have coming from a small school is going to help me stand out because it just proves that I’m willing to put in the work and effort to succeed.” 

Bailey is on the Shepherd University Debate and Forensics Team and is a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society. She has competed in fair and festival pageants across the state, including in her home county of Putnam, and believes those pageant experiences will give her an advantage. 

“Public speaking and interviewing aren’t new to me and I’m hoping that those skills and the practice I’ve received on how to be professional in an interview and also bring out my personality is going to help me,” she said. 

Bailey’s long-term goal is to attend law school and become a public servant.  

“My experiences have shown me how much passion and desire I really have to serve my community and the government,” she said. “I want to stay in West Virginia and work in Charleston.”

Dr. Sam Greene, chair, Department of Political Science, will coach Bailey over the next month as she prepares for an April 4 interview in Washington. The Harry S. Truman foundation will announce the winners on April 19.  

“Chloe’s selection as a finalist for this very competitive national award recognizes her academic excellence, her commitment to a career in public service, and her skills in leadership,” Greene said.      

The Paul and Lisa Welch Distinguished Awards Program at Shepherd University was established to provide targeted assistance to Shepherd students and faculty preparing for competitive prestigious scholarships, fellowships, and award programs such as the Truman Scholarship. For more information, contact Greene.

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