Sources: Amy Sents, asents@k-state.edu;
and Jim Hohenbary, 785-532-6904, jimlth@k-state.edu
Photo available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Kristin Hodges, 785-532-6415, khodges2@k-state.edu

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

K-STATE SENIOR FROM McPHERSON IS UNIVERSITY'S 32ND TRUMAN SCHOLAR

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University student Amy Sents is K-State's 32nd Harry S. Truman Scholar.

Sents is a McPherson senior in animal sciences and industry and pre-veterinary medicine with a minor in international agriculture. As a winner of the Truman scholarship, she will receive as much as $30,000 for graduate studies toward a career in public service.

"We're very pleased that Amy Sents has been selected as a Truman scholar," said K-State President Kirk Schulz. "Amy is a great representation of the caliber of K-State students, and she is continuing the university's ongoing success in the Truman scholarship competition. She is committed to serving others and is on track for an excellent career in veterinary medicine."

K-State ranks first­ in the nation among 500 public universities, with 32 students winning Truman scholarships since the program began in 1977. In 1996, the Truman Foundation named K-State a Truman Scholar Honor Institution. K-State was among the inaugural group of 17 schools, which were chosen from the more than 450 colleges that have produced Truman scholars, to receive this title.

Sents is among 60 scholars selected this year by the Truman Foundation. The scholars were chosen from 576 applicants from 245 colleges and universities, according to the Truman Foundation. Truman scholars are selected based on their commitment to public service, record of leadership and likelihood of success in graduate studies.

Sents plans to obtain a doctorate of veterinary medicine and master's of public health at K-State. She then would like to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in veterinary services.

"I would be responsible for collaborating with other state and federal entities to develop plans for emergency response in the event of a disease outbreak," she said. "If one were to occur, I would be a first responder, implementing quarantines and testing animals. I would also help train public officials regarding their role in such an event."

Last summer Sents interned with the White House liaison office within the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. She was able to visit the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service headquarters while there.

Sents said she has long been involved with organizations to serve the community. When choosing a career, she wanted to combine her passion for volunteering with her interests in disease and health.

"My parents impressed upon me from a young age the need to serve others," Sents said. "Through my activities on the farm and in 4-H and FFA, I developed a true passion for animals. Through safeguarding the health of livestock, I aspire to help make this world a safer place for everyone to live."

At K-State, Sents is the current webmaster and past vice president and secretary of Alpha of Clovia 4-H Scholarship House. She has competed on K-State's meats and horse judging teams and the meat quiz bowl team. She also has participated in the local and regional animal sciences and industry academic quadrathlon and attends University Christian Church. She will represent Kansas as an international 4-H youth exchange delegate to Germany and Switzerland from June to December. Sents has received K-State's Putnam Scholarship, the Fort Dodge Animal Health Scholarship, the Cargill Genuinely Better Scholarship, the Agriculture Future of America Scholarship, the Robert J. Dole Scholarship, national FFA scholarships and state and county 4-H scholarships. A 2007 graduate of McPherson High School, she is the daughter of Allan and Deanna Sents of McPherson.