Junior public affairs major Julia Dieter has been named a 2026 Truman Scholar, a program that recognizes students who exemplify leadership, a potential future for public service and academic excellence.

Recipients of this scholarship receive $30,000 for graduate school, leadership training, a summer spent at an institute in D.C. and a vast network of connections for future internships or careers.

Beyond being one of the 55 winners for this application cycle, Dieter will join the network of all of the 3,673 Truman Scholars named since 1977.

“The application process is not easy. It’s like a bunch of essays, a policy proposal, different (recommendation) letters about different aspects of your leadership, service, character, those kinds of things. … It comes with a lot of opportunities,” Dieter said.

Dieter worked tirelessly to apply for the award. Initially nominated by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, she was chosen as one of four students to represent UT on the national stage.

“I did admittedly feel a little bit of imposter syndrome when I was announced as a finalist, but then when I had so many people supporting me and talking to me about the process, that really gave me a lot of confidence going into the interview, which I think allowed me to do a lot better than I would have done,” Dieter said.

Dieter said she is proud of the writing she accomplished as part of her application.

“The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships also helped me a lot with my essays. And I think those were, honestly, some of the best things I’ve ever written, just because of how much we met about them, talked about them and revised them. They were some of the best things I feel like I’ve ever produced,” Dieter said.

Outside of Dieter’s academic prowess, she is involved with UT Ambassadors, Vol Team, Baker School Ambassadors and the Student Government Association. She also serves as a student commissioner on the Tennessee Higher Education Commission, and she will step in as SGA’s chief of staff under Caroline Marcus in the fall.

“I think a lot of the different (organizations) on campus also really helped me, I think being an ambassador gave me a lot of confidence with public speaking and talking about myself, and kind of just like, being able to articulate different things really well, especially in an interview setting or in a setting to people I had never talked to before, even if they aren’t necessarily receiving it well,” Dieter said.

Dieter’s community backed up her story of success, and she had support not only from her friends and peers but also from UT resources.

“(Dieter’s) journey from Signal Mountain to the Truman stage is a powerful testament to what happens when a student’s drive meets the UT ecosystem of support,” Senior Vice Provost for the Division of Student Success Amber Williams said. “At the University of Tennessee, we’re not just focused on academic milestones; we are committed to nurturing the kind of visionary leadership (Dieter) shows as she advocates for the future of education policy.”

Dieter will be interning in Washington, D.C., this summer, working with policymakers on education policy.

“I’m just excited to be up there doing work I actually really care about for (education) policy, but also being up there with a bunch of my classmates and then the people in the grade above me. … The Truman scholars who just finished their undergrad degrees are going to be in D.C. through the summer institute, so I’ll be able to meet them and to gauge their experience that they’re having this summer before I do the summer institute through Truman next summer,” Dieter said.

As Dieter looks toward the future, including a possible career in public policy, she remains steadfast in the discipline and hard work she pursues every day.

“I think it’s definitely more than just the leadership classes, the money, the recognition, all those things,” Dieter said. “To me, it’s really kind of a nod to the things that I’ve been doing for a really long time and to the places that I want to go, because I never really saw a career in public service as something I’d actually be able to do right and pursue, so to actually have the tools, the resources and to be given that recognition that I’m able to do that, and I’m able to pursue that and be in a career path that’s so fulfilling to me, is something that I’m just really excited to keep in mind in the future, and really excited to get the ball rolling with all of that.“