Student Aidan Earnest among Truman Scholarship finalists

February 27, 2020

Screen shot from Aidan Earnest UA Support campaign.

University of Alaska Fairbanks senior Aidan Earnest will compete as a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, which provides up to $30,000 for graduate school. The awards are given to students for leadership in public service, and after completing a graduate degree, the student must commit to three years of public service.

Earnest is a student in the UAF Honors College and is pursuing a degree in political science with a minor in justice. He plans to enroll in a dual-degree graduate program at the University of Minnesota.

Born and raised in Fairbanks, Earnest has a strong investment in community, calling it his "key driving force."

"If I had to shorten it to a single sentence I would say my goal would be to help affect real change here at the local level, regardless of what form it takes," he said.

His Honors College thesis project is to lobby the State of Alaska to adopt a legal definition of sexual consent in hopes that it will help facilitate more discussion on the problem.

Earnest served as campaign manager for state House Rep. Grier Hopkins, then wrote a manuscript about how to run a campaign for state political office, which the University of Alaska Press is now considering for publication.

He served as a student senator with the Associated Students of UAF and as its government relations director. He has also interned with former State Rep. David Guttenberg, U.S. Congressman Tom O’Halleran, and is currently in Juneau through the Ted Stevens Internship program.

"Get involved in everything you can and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself," he said. "The amount of opportunities that are available here on campus, in Fairbanks and in Alaska — all you have to do is reach out."

From the original applicant pool of 773, Earnest is among 190 finalists who are now competing with students from across the country for about 60 awards. The scholarship foundation will announce the 2020 class of Truman Scholars in mid-April.

For more information, contact Kate Avery, College of Liberal Arts public information officer, at 474-6464 or ktavery@alaska.edu.