When Jared English was contacted and told to proceed immediately to MSU President M. Peter McPherson's office on Friday, he thought he was in trouble.

He didn't, however, think he was going to be notified he won a $30,000 scholarship.

"How often are you called into the president's office?" said English, an international relations and finance senior and ASMSU's Academic Assembly director of university, governmental and budgetary affairs. "I walked in, and there was (MSU Provost Lou Anna Simon) and the president, and they said, 'Congratulations, you won the Truman.'"

The Truman Scholarship is awarded to between 75 and 80 students nationwide for their public and community service achievements.

Recipients of the scholarship get $3,000 for their final undergraduate year and up to $27,000 for continued education.

"I was surprised," English said. "It's such a long shot. It's one-in-500 plus to make it."

But English's mother, Cheryl English, wasn't surprised.

"Supposedly she knew the whole time," Jared English said. "She was like, 'You'll get it, you'll get it.'"

Cheryl English, a Jackson resident, said when he told her he had won, she simply said, "Congratulations, I'm thrilled."

She said she knew her son was going to win when he traveled to Chicago for the final interview in the beginning of March.

"There was no way he wasn't going to win it," she said. "He's a very caring young man. I was very confident in his abilities."

Both said they are grateful for the money for English's continued education in law school.

"I would've still gone," Jared English said, adding he doesn't know where he plans to attend school yet.

"I just would've had to take out a $30,000 loan."

There were four finalists chosen from MSU to apply for the scholarship, and English said he began preparing for the challenging application long before the November deadline.

The finalists revised their applications in late January before they entered into the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation.

English will participate in Truman Scholars Leadership Week activities, a week aimed at increasing academic and professional skills, but isn't sure if he will attend the 10-week summer institute in Washington since he plans on taking classes.

David Bailey, a history professor and a coordinator of MSU's major scholarships, said English was a prime candidate for the scholarship.

"The most remarkable thing about Jared is how he takes on so many different issues and yet can keep them in balance," Bailey said. "You don't see that too many times in a student.

"You can't make somebody like that, it's in your character."

Bailey said it's obvious English, who was valedictorian of his Jackson High School class, went through a lot of work preparing for the interviews and the application for the scholarship.

"You can see when you talk to him how active his mind is," he said. "That's exactly what the Truman people saw."