Holy Cross Junior Earns Prestigious Truman Scholarship

Jeffrey Reppucci honored for leadership in public service

College of the Holy Cross student Jeffrey Reppucci ’14, a Russian major and defenseman on the men’s ice hockey team from Newburyport, Mass., has been selected as a 2013 Harry S. Truman Scholar. The highly competitive scholarship, which provides $30,000 for graduate study, was awarded to 62 college juniors from across the country with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to a public service career.

“From his earliest days on campus, Jeff emerged as a man of action,” says Timothy R. Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college. “He displays a quiet confidence and always has a cheerful smile, but nobody should doubt either his energy or his commitment to finding solutions to the challenges that he identifies — whether they're halfway across the globe or right here in central Massachusetts.”

Selected from among 629 candidates nominated by 293 colleges and universities, Reppucci is the founder and president of the 501(c)3 non-profit organization Students Helping Children Across Borders. In 2012, he establish Playing For Peace, a $25,000 community building project in rural Russia, focused on promoting community wellness for children through sports and anti-alcohol education. He is also the founder and CEO of the project Working For Worcester 2012-13, an initiative designed to provide infrastructure improvements to Worcester’s recreational spaces.

A 2011 and 2012 member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team, Reppucci was selected as a Holy Cross Dana Scholar for the 2012-13 school year. In 2012, he earned two prestigious awards from the Katherine Wasserman Davis Foundation, including a Fellowship for the Study of Critical Languages which is awarded to students who demonstrate a potential for promoting peace on an international scale; and a $10,000 Davis 100 Projects for Peace Grant, which is awarded for a service project that promotes peace.

“Jeff has demonstrated a high degree of initiative in his public service projects,” says Anthony Cashman, director of the Office of Distinguished Fellowships and Graduate Studies. “Most students volunteer through established programs, but Jeff created his own organization to address the issues of youth wellness and empowerment. Being selected as a Truman Scholar is testament to this ingenuity, as well as his very high level of academic achievement.”

Reppucci is the sixth student from Holy Cross to earn a Truman Scholarship. Most recently, Katie Yue-Sum Li ’05, a teacher in San Francisco, and Jon Favreau ’03, former chief speechwriter for President Obama, received the prestigious award in 2004 and 2002 respectively.

In addition to money for graduate studies, Truman Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid at some premier graduate institutions, leadership training, career and graduate school counseling, and special internship opportunities within the federal government.

The Truman Scholarship Foundation was established by Congress in 1975 as the federal memorial to our thirty-third President. The Foundation awards scholarships for college students to attend graduate school in preparation for careers in government or elsewhere in public service. The activities of the Foundation are supported by a special trust fund in the US Treasury.

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