Two Georgetown University juniors won the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, an award for undergraduate students’ commitment to public service, the Truman Scholarship Foundation announced April 18.
Kanmani Duraikkannan (CAS ’26) and Izzy Wagener (SFS ’26) were two of 54 scholarship winners selected from a pool of 743 applicants nationwide in recognition of their devotion to public service. The Truman Scholarship awards winners with up to $30,000 in grant money for a graduate degree program in public service as well as leadership development programming and internship support. 
Duraikkannan said becoming a Truman Scholar showed her that her dreams of working toward gender equity are attainable.
“Being a Truman, when I first heard about it, it was validation that everything I said I’m doing, everything I said I’m passionate about, all these important people agree,” Duraikkannan said. “They see that I have this credibility, and when I describe it, everything I say I want to accomplish I can actually do. It’s a really, really great feeling.”
Wagener, who will pursue graduate studies in investigative journalism, said she is honored for the recognition of her public service.
“I’m definitely very thankful for this opportunity,” Wagener told The Hoya. “I hope that I can have a fulfilling career in public service.”
“I was surprised and really thankful that the selection committee was able to see potential in my ability to do public service and my passion for it,” Wagener added.
Lauren Tuckley — the director of Georgetown’s Center for Research & Fellowships, an office supporting students applying to fellowships and scholarships — said Duraikkannan and Wagener exemplify the university’s ideals of leadership and service.
“We are so proud of Kanmani and Izzy’s recognition as Truman Scholars,” Tuckley said in a press release. “They both demonstrate academic excellence, a passion for making the world better and demonstrated leadership. We know they will advance generations of Hoyas’ leadership in public service.”
Duraikkannan, who transferred to Georgetown in the Fall 2024 semester from the University of Delaware, said her interest in how traditional gender norms impact women inspired her to study systemic gender inequality. 
“I was giving a TEDx University of Delaware talk, and it was about how K-12 education doesn’t prepare women for the socio-cultural issues of the 21st century,” Duraikkannan said. “It was this topic that I found myself to be so passionate about because it had been little things throughout college, but then it was that I could literally dedicate my entire life to this.”
Waegner said she centered her application on campus labor rights advocacy and her work with the Free Speech Project, a Georgetown research initiative dedicated to exploring global free speech trends. 
“I’ve always just been super interested in journalism, and I’ve been in student journalism since I was in high school, and I feel like I always just keep getting pulled back to it,” said Waegner. “I have experimented with a lot of different sorts of ways of expressing that interest since I’m doing photography now, and I’ve always done writing, but I’ve also done design stuff. I’ve always known I wanted to be a journalist.”
Duraikkannan, Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA)’s department director of diversity and community development, said she is passionate about improving equity at Georgetown. 
“There’s definitely a lot of wealth-related things in this school,” Duraikkannan said. “Coming from the state school, they become more obvious in being able to show people and GUSA that even if I just got here, I understand that.”
Kathleen Bonette, a theology professor who taught Duraikkannan in “The Problem of God,” said she appreciated Duraikkannan’s efforts to uplift her classmates.
“Kanmani was always willing to offer her perspective to enhance conversations, but — equally important — she expressed genuine interest in the perspectives of her peers,” Bonette wrote to The Hoya. “In fact, she often chose to move seats simply to have the chance to engage with more voices. Kanmani helped to bring the class community together.”
Ann Oldenburg, assistant director of the journalism department, said Wagener’s dedication to serving local communities through journalism is admirable.
“I’ve been delighted to see Izzy go from wondering ‘what to do’ to developing an admirable and strong passion for public service, social justice and local journalism,” Oldenburg wrote to The Hoya. “She wants to be in the trenches of a community to improve it by uncovering and disseminating accurate information to educate its citizens. 
“This goal of Izzy’s, at this particular moment, is crucial to our democracy,” Oldenburg added. “I could not be more thrilled that Izzy wants to work in local journalism — an area that desperately needs people exactly like Izzy.”
Bonette said she hopes Duraikkannan continues to engage in social justice through the Truman Scholarship.
“I hope Kanmani will continue to bring her energy to the work of justice and community-building and that she will continue to ask the deep questions that allow her to grow,” she said.
Duraikkannan, who has held various internships in the federal government, said she has grown to understand she can be a public servant outside the government.
“My definition of service — I’m a little bit confused about it,” Duraikkannan said. “It’s evolving and growing. And I think this motivation is that if I stay true to myself, and if I do what I’m passionate about, I can genuinely make a difference.”

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