Luncheon celebrates Spirit of Service Scholars


Jennifer Truong dreams of pursuing a career in community development and hopes to establish her own micro-enterprise network to help emerging nations strengthen their economies. Presently, she is an undergraduate senior studying finance and marketing in the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Her parents came to the United States as refugees from Cambodia during the reign of the Communist Khmer Rouge. After graduating from Dobson High School, she chose to stay in Arizona to earn her business degree and is currently the co-chairman for Camp Kesem, a national nonprofit organization that raises funds for kids whose parents have cancer. She wants to make a significant difference in others’ lives.

Jennifer is just one of 17 remarkable students chosen for the first cohort of Spirit of Service Scholars by ASU’s College of Public Programs. Dedicated to pursuing careers in public service, these scholars are poised to help create the next generation of public and nonprofit leaders who will transform government and society at all levels. With baby boomers rapidly retiring, we face a looming crisis: a dearth of talent available at federal and local levels to assume critically important roles in government and management.  

The Spirit of Service Scholars initiative provides scholarships to students dedicated to seeking careers in the public and non-profit sectors. The scholars will also serve as mentors to 34 Arizona high school students who are also interested in careers in public service.

On Sept. 13, Debra Friedman, university vice president and dean of the College of Public Programs, will host a luncheon to introduce and celebrate the inaugural cohort of the Spirit of Service Scholars. This sold-out event will be attended by the scholars, ASU President Michael Crow, City of Phoenix leaders and various corporate partners responsible for the design, funding and implementation of this initiative. Tim McManus, vice president of education and outreach for the Washington DC-based Partnership for Public Service, will deliver the keynote address at the event. The luncheon will be held at the A.E. England Building at 424 N. Central Avenue, in Downtown Phoenix’s Civic Space Park from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

All media members are invited to arrive at 10:30 a.m. to personally meet the Spirit of Service Scholars, Tim McManus, high school principals and students, as well as the community and university leaders who have been instrumental in launching this program. Media members will have the opportunity to interview these exceptional students and others who are each already actively engaged in making a difference in their communities.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dana Berchman, dana.berchman@asu.edu
Manager, Media Communications, ASU College of Public Programs
602-496-0406