Autumn Guillotte ’18 learned about public service and the political process at a young age. She campaigned for her state senator in high school, and as a URI freshman, clerked for the R.I. Government Oversight Committee. She’s also advocated for women’s rights as an intern with the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women, fought for voting rights with the College Democrats of Rhode Island, and championed constituent rights as an intern in the office of U.S. Sen. Jack Reed.

It all paid off when the history and philosophy honors student found out this spring that she is Rhode Island’s Truman Scholar for 2017, winning $30,000 toward her graduate education. She plans to study labor law.

“The laws in the U.S. are the foundation of how people are able to live, to interact with the government, to benefit or defend themselves,” Guillotte says. “Being a lawyer and using these laws or changing these laws to help everyday working people is exciting to me.”

The University of Rhode Island was named a Truman Scholarship Honor Institution in 2005 for its active encouragement of students to pursue careers in public service, the only public university in the Northeast with this designation.