George Washington University junior Emily-Anne Santiago has always valued the power of community. Whether it’s her Cuban and Puerto Rican family from Florida or the 1,200 students she leads as president of the GW College Democrats, Santiago believes that gathering people around her is the best way to get things done.
“We are community creatures. We were meant to be in communities with other people,” said Santiago, a political science and accounting major. “We were all put here to help each other succeed and live. And there’s no better place to do that than in public service.”
That’s a course that has helped Santiago change lives—from organizing against school shootings as a high school student to working for improved disability support services at GW.
And now Santiago has joined a new community as a recipient of the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Awarded to 54 exceptional college students from 49 U.S. colleges and universities in 2025, the Truman Scholarship is the premier graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States.
The award recognizes students with outstanding leadership potential, academic excellence and a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector. Among the more than 3,600 past Truman Scholars are U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and Andy Kim (D-New Jersey) and former White House National Security Advisors Susan Rice and Jake Sullivan.
“Being named a Truman Scholar is a testament to Emily-Anne’s vision, drive and unwavering commitment to making a difference,” said Jacob A. English, director of GW’s Center for Undergraduate Fellowships and Research. “She represents the very best of our campus—bold leadership, deep integrity and a clear purpose rooted in service.”
With a long record of service achievements in high school, Santiago was determined to take her public activism to Washington, D.C., for college. “I wanted to be somewhere I could grow as an advocate and a public servant,” she recalled.
But Santiago was uncertain she’d be able to attend GW until she received assistance from both the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and a POSSE Scholarship, an award for students leaders who show the potential to be change agents on campus and in the community.
Santiago has lived up to that challenge. She’s the president of Eta Eta Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. She was recently elected president of the DC College Democrats, which represents 10,000 student members across area universities. And she’s held several internships, including with the U.S Treasury Department and on the Hill with Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and former Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey.
“Emily amazes us with her breadth and depth of interest in politics, public policy and the law,” said Associate Professor of Political Science Eric Lawrence, chair of the Department of Political Science at the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. “I look forward to seeing what she achieves after leaving GW.”
Associate Professor of Political Science Yonatan Lupu said Santiago distinguished herself in his classes through her engagement during discussions and her instinct to work through all aspects and angles of a challenge. “I join GW in being proud of Emily-Anne’s achievement in being awarded the Truman Scholarship,” he said. “I’m not surprised that Emily-Anne was one of the select students to receive this highly competitive award. I look forward to seeing her build upon these accomplishments as she moves forward in her career.”
Fostering community
Not surprisingly, Santiago said her proudest accomplishments involve working with the GW community. Suffering from an inner ear disorder that left her deaf in one ear, Santiago has been working to improve disability support services on campus—while learning American Sign Language to complement her English and fluent Spanish.
Santiago is also serious about being a role model for other students. During the 2024 election cycle, she traveled with busloads of fellow students to canvas for the Harris campaign in rural Pennsylvania. When other students were dejected by the election’s outcome, she reminded them of all they had accomplished.
“We knocked on over 10,000 doors, we helped thousands of people sign up for IDs and we talked to so many people about their frustrations with the political system—people who maybe were having their first good interaction with anyone associated with politics,” she said. She told younger students “we didn’t waste our time. Maybe we can’t see what our work is doing—but it’s doing work!”
Established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and a national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of the 33rd president by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders. The new class of 54 Truman Scholars were selected from 743 candidates nominated by 288 colleges and universities, based on their academic success and leadership accomplishments as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders.
The scholarship includes a $30,000 award toward further education, which Santiago plans to use for law school. Eventually, she hopes to practice human rights law—and she has her sights set on one day becoming a Supreme Court law clerk. “That would be the crème de la crème, the dream,” she laughed.
Meanwhile she plans to continue fostering her GW community and paving the way for the next student leaders to thrive. “I remember being a freshman and being so confused about how to find my footing in this city and this university,” she recalled. “A lot of older students helped me. And now it’s amazing to be able to flip that script and help other people instead.”