University of Pennsylvania student Sarah Cornelius, a junior in the School of Arts & Sciences, has been awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship. This merit-based award supports college students who plan to pursue careers in government or public service or who wish to attend graduate or professional school to help prepare for their careers and are United States citizens or U.S. nationals. Cornelius is among 60 students awarded Truman Scholarships this year and is the 23rd Truman Scholar from Penn since 1981.

Cornelius, of Philadelphia, is pursuing a degree in political science with a focus on education policy. Her personal experience of educational inequality has motivated her to work toward ensuring that all students have equal access to high-quality educational opportunities.

She has conducted research on school partnerships as an intern for the School District of Philadelphia and helped to implement college and career readiness programming in Philadelphia´s Promise Zone as a Mayor´s Intern in the Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. Also, Cornelius served as co-president of the Penn Education Society, an undergraduate group committed to fostering dialogue and advocacy around education policy on campus. She has been volunteering in schools for several years, most recently through the Community School Student Partnerships.

Additional information about the Harry S. Truman Scholarship program is available here through Penn’s Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.