Allison Boyd

2024 Truman Scholar

Hometown

Washington, IN

Major

Aeronautical Engineering Technology

College

Purdue Polytechnic Institute

 

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awards students in their junior year of college who are committed to becoming leaders in a career in public service. The scholarship was established in 1975 in honor of then-president Harry Truman and provides up to $30,000 per scholar for graduate-level studies. Truman Scholars participate in leadership development programs and have special opportunities for internships and employment with the Federal government.

As the 2024 Truman Scholar, Allison Boyd takes yet another giant leap forward in what has become a distinguished Boilermaker education. She has persistently pursued the next step in her professional development, including internships and research projects at Lockheed Martin, NASA, and Blue Origin.

Leadership is intrinsic to Allison’s mindset, and she strives to create opportunities for others to explore and access aviation career paths. Through her leadership role in Purdue Aviation Day, she took the initiative to create scholarships toward technical certifications and pilot licenses, which can cost $8,000 to $80,000. As a first-generation college student, Allison cites how the impact of support and guidance that she received led her to establish a formal alumni mentoring program at her former high school in collaboration with the administration.

Allison’s commitment to public service is evident in the reach of her actions on an ever-expanding community here on campus and beyond. She sees herself pursuing a long career with a focus on public safety. She looks toward the FAA, which is the authority on aviation policy. Beginning with her vision of being poised to apply her technical skills to this path, Allison intends to pursue graduate level training in computational analysis and public policy.