Gabrielle Newell, a third-year majoring in International Studies with a minor in Human Rights and hailing from Washington, D.C., was recently awarded the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to only 50-75 students throughout the country each year and grants awardees $30,000 toward an education and career in public service. Below, Newell talks to Her Campus about her achievements and goals.
What types of issues are you interested in? What organizations are you involved with on campus?
On campus I have been lucky enough to be a part of some incredibly inspiring communities. With Students for Health Equity (SHE) I have engaged this question of responsibility: As a student at this University, what is my responsibility to the surrounding community and how far does it extend? With SHE, I have contributed to the push for a trauma center on the Southside, as this exemplifies the severe resource inequity experienced on a national scale.
Additionally, I’m Vice President of the Organization of Black Students. Together, we seek to develop a campus community that is actively inclusive and affirming, enabling everyone to feel equipped to succeed.
I’m also involved in OMSA, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. I’ve had the opportunity to serve on their Student Advisory Board, as a facilitator for the “Emerging Minds” Project and co-founder of the Multiracial Student Group.
I also co-lead the UChicago chapter of the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE).
A big part of the Truman Scholarship application involves coming up with a policy proposal. What was your proposal about?
Here’s a snippet from my Truman policy proposal:
“Certain people are born into vulnerable situations – some without familial support, others without resources to meet their basic needs. These people are particularly susceptible to becoming victims of sex trafficking, as sex traffickers prey on those who are circumstantially vulnerable. Let us say, for example, that a man comes along and offers a 13-year-old girl – as that is the average age of women entering the sex industry in the United States[1][1]– security, comfort, and love on the condition that she have sex for money. These individuals (most of whom are girls who have been emotionally, sexually, and physically abused[2][2]) enter into this arrangement – maybe they thought the pimp loved them or maybe they did not see any other options for themselves. They become trapped – emotionally abused, isolated from their friends and family, financially dependent on their pimp. They become victims of trafficking. Contrary to many assumptions, sex trafficking is prevalent in America; each year, at least 100,000 American children are exploited in the commercial sex industry[3].[3] I believe in the power of communities; however these individuals are outside of the protection of collectives, they are helpless. As a change agent, I seek to strengthen the channels between various approaches to sculpt a more comprehensive safety-net for victims of sex trafficking.
What was the application process like? What were the challenges/difficulties?
The biggest challenge in the application process was understanding how I define a leader and what sort of leader I would like to be. I finally realized something about myself: I want to be the leader who facilitates opportunities for others to lead. We, as a society, have some rather hefty issues to address. As individuals, they can seem insurmountable but as communities we can generate some very real change. As a leader, I want to bring communities together to address issues of shared concern.
What next?
Looking ahead, I want to learn from those most immediately affected by these issues of inequity and then transition into policy work in order to impact systemic change. Concretely, I am considering pursuing a joint JD and Masters in International Studies.