Tatum Watkins Named Truman Scholar

Tatum Watkins ’27, was awarded the highly prestigious Truman Scholarship. The U.S. Congress established the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation as a living memorial to President Truman in 1975. The foundation awards merit-based graduate school scholarships to college students in their junior year who plan to pursue careers in public service.

Watkins is one of 55 new Truman Scholars selected from 781 candidates nominated by 305 colleges and universities. Truman Scholars must demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, a commitment to a career in public service, and academic excellence. Each Truman Scholar receives a scholarship for graduate studies, leadership training, career advising, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.   

“I will use this scholarship to support my future graduate studies and career in environmental law,” said Watkins, a political science major with concentrations in policy studies and science, medicine & society from Clarinda, Iowa. 

She will be starting her Master’s of Public Health (MPH) in Occupational and Environmental Health at the University of Iowa alongside finishing her undergraduate degree in 2026-2027. Following the awarding of her MPH in 2028, she will connect science with law as she begins her Juris Doctorate (JD) program.

“In the long term, I want to work as an environmental attorney working at the intersection of environmental health, agriculture, and environmental justice,” said Watkins. “More specifically, I want to do work that seeks to further regulate farm chemicals and other agriculture related pollutants that have an impact on human health.”

“It is hard to express in words how honored I am to receive the Truman Scholarship and there are many reasons that it means the world to me,” shared Watkins. “The two biggest issues I discussed in my application were my love of rural America and the need for better research on birth defects, two issues that don’t get a lot of attention. So, seeing that multiple people saw my application and thought that these were valuable issues, is a great honor in it of itself.”

Watkins continued, “As a lifelong rural Iowan, I didn’t grow up knowing many people with advanced degrees, so this scholarship also shows me that my dreams of graduate school and law school are well within reach.”

“Tatum’s leadership, advocacy, and commitment to purpose are her foundational strengths,” said Ann Landstrom, Truman advisor and assistant dean and director of global fellowships and awards at Grinnell College. “The committee recognized Tatum’s intellectual depth, political acuity, and public service experiences that directly shape her professional journey.”

Watkins work and volunteer experiences have allowed her to explore a future in environmental justice work. She served as a summer 2025 intern with the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement, conducting public health, environmental policy, and environmental health research and outreach on a project investigating Iowa’s cancer crisis. “This allowed me to see in real time the value of strong population health registries, which informed my ability to write a policy proposal for the Truman Scholarship,” said Watkins.

“The foundation for everything I have done is my upbringing on a regenerative cattle ranch in rural Iowa, where I was able to see first hand the impact of environmental injustices on Iowans,” said Watkins. She is involved in multiple organizations that advocate for the health and well-being of all Iowans. In Grinnell, she is on the board of Poweshiek CARES that advocates for environmentally friendly farming, and in Red Oak, Iowa, she volunteers with Nishnabotna Water Defenders to advocate for environmental health initiatives surrounding water quality. 

Her commitment to rural Iowa, continues as the vice-chair of the Rural Caucus for the Iowa Democratic Party and selection as a delegate for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. 

Election work has been prominent in her experiences as a precinct election official with the Office of the Page County Auditor and assisting with voter registration in Grinnell as a civic engagement student coordinator with Civic Education and Innovation, Center for Careers, Life, and Service.

As a Grinnell student, Watkin’s leadership is prominent within co-curriculars and the local community. She has been president, vice-president, and a core member of Campus Democrats. “This position has allowed me to explore campus and community needs, partnerships, and guide student voter engagement efforts,” said Watkins. Mock Trial Team has been another formative experience fostering leadership and legal competencies, as captain in her second year and member all four years. Watkins is also a member of the Student Environmental Committee, Grinnelenor Rossevelts Ultimate Frisbee team, and Fiber Arts Club.

Having worked at the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum, it was a natural interest to seek employment as an outreach intern at the Grinnell College Museum of Art. “Teaching art and doing art outreach has not only given me a creative outlet, but has also affirmed my desire to work in public service.” 

Tatum’s application was supported by Jennifer Phillips-Herrington, Chairperson of the Page County Democratic Party Executive Committee; Cody Smith, Director of Climate Initiatives with the Iowa Environmental Council; and Barbara Trish, Professor of Political Science at Grinnell College.

Grinnell College Finalists and Nominees 

Grinnell College is allowed to put forward four nominees for the Truman Scholarship each year. Students of all disciplines with an intention to pursue graduate study and work in public service are encouraged to apply for campus nomination in the spring semester of their second year. The nominees form a cohort to complete their foundation applications in a seminar format in the fall semester of their third year for a February submission to the Truman Foundation. 

In 2026, the Foundation reviewed the 781 applications to select 198 Finalists that attended interviews in 17 regions across the United States in March and April. 

Sasha Fine, of Newton, Massachusetts, was also selected as a Finalist from Grinnell College. She is committed to a career leading organizations and advocacy for reproductive health education and services. Fine, a political science major with education studies and policy studies concentrations, plans to obtain a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) that will support her goals of informing policy and implementing systemic, data-informed changes to benefit the health and well-being of Americans. Fine is currently on semester study at Queen Mary University of London, United Kingdom.

The other nominees put forward by Grinnell College from the Class of 2027 were: 

• Ajay Griffin, of San Jose, California, is an economics and political science double major with a plan to pursue a JD/MPA. His career steps begin as a financial analyst or legal counsel in a county manager’s office to ultimately serve as a county manager. Griffin is committed to data-informed and equity-centered local government as a model of efficiency and a moral benchmark for public service.
• Salma Hassab, of Des Plaines, IL, is a history and psychology double major with a plan to pursue a Masters in Social Work (MSW). Her education plan prepares her to be a licensed clinician and a policy advocate. Hassab is passionate in providing culturally-informed mental health care for individuals in immigrant and refugee communities while addressing gaps in policy for culturally-responsive, trauma-informed mental health care.

About The Truman Scholarship

The Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of our 33rd president by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. When approached by a bipartisan group of admirers near the end of his life, President Truman embodied this commitment to the future of public service by asking Congress to create a living memorial devoted to this purpose, rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar monument. For more than 40 years, the Truman Foundation has fulfilled that mission, inspiring and supporting Americans from diverse backgrounds to public service. The 55 awardees in 2026 join a community of 3,674 Truman Scholars named since the first awards in 1977.