Commitment to Public Service Earns Rutgers Honors Student a Truman Scholarship
Aasha Shaik plans to work in public policy and fight for human rights
“From being an American-born citizen to being able-bodied, my privilege juxtaposed with my experiences of marginalization are what motivate my passion for public service and for uplifting all marginalized communities—whether or not their marginalization looks like my own.”
– Aasha Shaik
Whether tutoring women in prison or fighting for the rights of girls around the world, Aasha Shaik has distinguished herself in her commitment to bring opportunity to those in need – and has earned the new distinction of being Rutgers' 11th recipient of the Truman Scholarship – an award that supports future leaders in public service.
As a first-year student, Shaik volunteered with The Petey Greene Program, which trains graduate and undergraduate students to serve as volunteer academic tutors in juvenile and adult correctional facilities. She helped incarcerated women finish their high school education through the program.
She also volunteered with Working Group on Girls, a United Nations-affiliated coalition dedicated to promoting girls’ rights worldwide, and in 2017 participated in the Microsoft Civic Tech Fellowship, seeking ways to use technology for the public good.
Shaik, a junior in Rutgers University-New Brunswick’s Honors College and Douglass Residential College, is majoring in political science and Middle Eastern studies in the School of Arts and Sciences. She plans to pursue joint law and master of public policy degrees, and work as a trial attorney in the areas of civil and/or human rights.
Shaik, who recently received the Honors College’s Changemaker Award, has felt inspired to strive for human rights and dignity from a young age.
“My identities as a first-generation Indian American, as a woman of color, as someone who was raised both Hindu and Muslim in a bi-religious household, have shaped my experiences,” she said.
Shaik said that although she has faced challenges based on her background, she also knows she is privileged.
“From being an American-born citizen to being able-bodied, my privilege juxtaposed with my experiences of marginalization are what motivate my passion for public service and for uplifting all marginalized communities – whether or not their marginalization looks like my own,” Shaik said.
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, created by Congress in 1975 in memory of the 33rd president, administers the scholarship that supports college juniors who embody the future of public service.
“In my 19 years as a fellowships adviser, I have never encountered a student more determined to make the world a better place than Aasha,” said Arthur D. Casciato, director of Rutgers-New Brunswick’s Office of Distinguished Fellowships within the Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
In 2019, 340 colleges and universities nominated 840 Truman Scholarship candidates, a record number of applications and institutions. Shaik is one of 62 new Truman Scholars who were selected. At a ceremony in May at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri, Shaik will receive her award along with a $30,000 scholarship toward graduate school. She will also have the opportunity to participate in a public service leadership development program.
“I still haven’t fully digested this news,” said Shaik, who is currently studying abroad in France at The Paris Institute of Political Studies. “I am very humbled and excited to be joining a community of changemakers as a Truman Scholar, and it’s an honor to represent Rutgers and New Jersey.”