Kevin Glandon said he surprised himself when he knew what to say at his interview for the Truman Scholarship.
"I realized when they asked me all these questions, I have answers," the international relations and political theory and constitutional democracy senior said.
He must have answered correctly.
Glandon, along with three other MSU students, were nominated based on their public and community service achievements - and could each win $30,000 for their continued education.
General business administration and pre-law senior Kelly Averbeck, international relations and finance senior Jared English, international relations and chemistry senior Andrew Goetz and Glandon applied for the scholarship in November and will revise their applications in late January before they enter into the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.
The national finalists for the scholarship will be announced on Feb. 11, and the actual winners on March 21. Until then, Glandon said he's sitting tight.
"I think it's not without reason that I could get the actual scholarship," he said. "At least if nothing else happens, I can still say I was nominated by MSU."
The scholarship recipients will participate in Truman Scholars Leadership Week activities, a week aimed at increasing academic and professional skills, as well as attending awards programs and a 10-week summer institute in Washington.
Each university can only nominate four students, but all four spots don't necessarily need to be filled, MSU Honors College Director Ron Fisher said.
"All of these individuals have very extensive public service and leadership experience," he said. "We'll see how it goes."
Fisher said between 12 and 15 students sought nomination, and some withdrew when they discovered the work required to earn a spot. Six faculty members make up the panel that selects MSU's nominees.
"It's a pretty involved application," Fisher said.
After a few weeks of anxious waiting, Glandon found out he was nominated in early December and said his six-page application was worth it.
"I was antsy," he said. "But for some reason, it takes the pressure off, even though the stakes are now higher."
Other applicants agreed that, regardless of the outcome, they learned a lot from the process - especially the interview.
"It was challenging, but at the same time it was kind of fun to go through hoops," English said, and plans to use the money for law school if he is a recipient. "So at the very least, it's good preparation for law school."
While English said he figured he had a fairly good chance of being nominated, he's unsure of the outcome of the next round.
"I was really excited, I couldn't believe it," he said. "You move on to the next round, so the competition's going to be more fierce."
But the worst is over, he said.
"Everything's done," English said. "The application's done. There's nothing more that can be done. Hopefully Michigan State will have a strong showing."
