Shoreline student wins prestigious scholarship at Swarthmore

Asma Noray

Asma Noray, of Shoreline, currently a junior at Swarthmore College, has won a prestigious Truman Scholarship.

Established to select and support the next generation of public service leaders, the Truman has become one of the most prestigious scholarships in the United States. Noray is one of just 54 students to receive the honor this year and the only one from Washington state.

Asma was born in Nairobi, Kenya and currently studies political science and Arabic at Swarthmore College where she is an active leader of the Muslim Students Association.

As a freshman, Asma volunteered in Iran for two months working to set up independent English programs for rural and impoverished communities and using language learning as a tool to build cultural understanding between Iranians and Americans.

Noray has studied Arabic in Morocco, Oman, and Jordan and hopes to work with refugee populations in the region while improving relations between American citizens and the Middle East.

Last year she earned a Boren Scholarship, created by a federal initiative to broaden the pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international relations skills.

Truman Scholars receive $30,000 toward either graduate school or professional development programming leading to careers in public service leadership. Noray plans to pursue a dual program in public policy and Middle Eastern studies, with a concentration in refugee policy and humanitarian aid.

775 candidates applied for a Truman this year, nominated by 305 colleges and universities and 54 were awarded.