2026 Truman Scholarship Nominees

February 17, 2026 | by Carey Accola

We are delighted to share the names of Northeastern’s 2026 nominees for the Truman Scholarship for Public Service.

Mina Akyildiz CSSH’27, Political Science
Mentors: Jessica Tiblin, Patricia Flaherty, Emily James, Colin Brown
Mina is a third-year student majoring in Political Science with minors in Public Health and Journalism Studies at Northeastern University, with a focus on housing justice, food security, and community-based public service. She plans to pursue a JD and build a career in public interest law, using legal advocacy to address challenges of housing instability, food insecurity, and structural inequality that affect low-income communities.
Her commitment to this work is grounded in both lived experience and service. During her co-op with Mission Hill Neighborhood Housing Services, she wrote and secured funding for senior programming and organized community events that brought together residents facing isolation. On campus, she mentors first-year students in the Explore Program, supporting those navigating academic uncertainty with empathy and guidance. Across these roles, she has focused on listening first, building trust, and creating spaces where people feel seen and supported. She also serves as a mentor with Girls Inc., working with elementary school students and learning firsthand about the strengths and challenges facing Boston’s public schools and families. Across these roles, she prioritizes listening, building trust, and creating spaces where people feel seen. Outside of campus, Mina enjoys long walks along the Charles River, exploring new coffee shops, and recently took up crocheting.

Hannah Kim Bouve’27, Health Science
Mentors: Rebecca Ricco, Kinde Wubneh, Jie Shen

Hannah Kim is a third-year pharmacy student at Northeastern University pursuing a Doctor of Pharmacy with a minor in Business Administration. Born in Texas and raised between the United States and South Korea, Hannah grew up navigating two very different healthcare systems—South Korea’s national health insurance model and the United States’ employment-based insurance structure. Experiencing these contrasting systems early in life sparked her interest in understanding how healthcare policies shape whether people can actually access the care they need. At Northeastern, Hannah’s academic work focuses on examining how the structures behind healthcare—pricing systems, supply chains, and regulatory framework—affect patient access to essential medications. She is particularly interested in how opaque decision-making within the drug system can create barriers for patients and how greater transparency and policy reform could improve equitable access to treatment. Her interest in these questions has been shaped by a combination of research, leadership, and service. Hannah conducts pharmaceutical formulation research in Dr. Jie Shen’s lab and has been involved in public service initiatives supporting refugee communities and food security efforts in Boston. She also serves in leadership roles with the Phi Lambda Sigma Pharmacy Leadership Society and the Women’s Interdisciplinary Society of Entrepreneurship. Outside the classroom, Hannah enjoys attending musicals and ballet performances and plays guitar in a small student band where she collaborates with friends across different universities.

Jarrett Lobb COS/CSSH’27, Mathematics/Political Science
Mentors: Giuliano Espino, Levi Watts, Grace Jung, Jovita Fontanez
Jarrett was born and raised in Thornton, Colorado. As a student at Northeastern University, he currently studies mathematics and political science with a concentration in law and legal studies. During the summer of his freshman year, he worked as a summer intern in Haley House, a soup kitchen in Boston’s South End. During this experience, he was able to gain new perspectives on societal injustices, particularly in relation to the criminal legal system. Seeing challenges faced by marginalized communities fueled his drive to change the system and build towards a better future. Since then, Jarrett has built upon this experience, including 350+ hours volunteering in a variety of different locations, two separate government internships, two co-ops, research with Northeastern faculty, leadership positions in multiple student organizations, and a TEDx talk on prison reform. Following his undergraduate studies, Jarrett plans on pursuing a joint MPP/JD program in order to obtain a full understanding of existing legal systems. He hopes to leverage these experiences into a career within Colorado’s state government, primarily focusing on systemic issues within the criminal legal system. Outside of his academic and professional interests, Jarrett enjoys rock climbing, reading, and the Kendrick Lamar discography. He also has two pet dogs, Sadie and Buckley, whom he misses dearly when he’s in Boston.

Sophie Schmults CSSH’26, English/Criminal Justice
Mentors: Norair Khachatryan, Gabriela Salerno, Julie Garey, Leah Allen, Lisa Morde
Sophie Schmults is a Pre-Law English and Criminal Justice major with a minor in Theatre, graduating in December 2026. She plans to pursue a J.D. and hopes to be a federal prosecutor, specializing in human trafficking. Her Truman application is focused on addressing transnational human trafficking to protect American safety and interests while getting justice for victims. Her co-op experiences include time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (Civil Rights and Human Trafficking Unit), the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office (Trial Bureau 60), and the Brennan Center for Justice (Justice Program). At Northeastern, she is involved in research with the Corrections and Reentry Lab, serves as a secretary for Northeastern’s Petey Greene Chapter and a CSSH ambassador, and is a proud member of ACES and Silver Masque Theatre Company. Outside of school, she volunteers with the Petey Greene Program and FARE. As a certified Restorative Justice facilitator, she is interested in harm-reduction practices for victims while keeping in mind the interests of justice. When she’s not pondering human trafficking extradition policies, she’s likely cross-stitching, baking, or in the ocean.