First-Generation Ole Miss Student Selected as Truman Finalist

If selected, the public policy leadership and economics major from Southaven will become the university's 21st Truman scholar and the sixth in five years. The first-generation college student was selected from a pool of more than 780 applicants from 305 institutions nationwide.

"To have even gotten to this point is truly a testament to the village I have around me at the university," she said. "I have been privileged to gain an incomparable network of peers, educators and mentors through organizations like the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, the Columns Society and various registered student organizations that I am involved in.

"My time at the university has prepared me for this moment because I feel empowered to coalesce my personal passions and my professional goals to serve the world around me."

Ba will participate in final interviews for the award on March 18 in Nashville. The 2026 Truman Scholars will be announced on April 24.

The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation offers the merit-based award as a memorial to the 33rd U.S. president. The scholarship committee looks for students who are committed to careers in government or public service.

That description fits Ba well, said Whitney Woods, assistant director of the Office of National Scholarship Advisement.

"Aminata is someone who leads with intentionality and advocates for systemic change that removes barriers to civic engagement, never losing sight of the real people those policies affect," she said. "I am thrilled to see her move forward in this process as a Truman finalist.

"Regardless of the outcome, Aminata is the kind of leader who makes you confident that the future of public service is in capable hands."

Ba has been a devoted advocate of voting rights since high school. While doing research for Secretary of State Michael Watson's "Promote the Vote" civic engagement essay competition, she learned that most Americans do not know the name or platforms of their elected officials.

"I became motivated to use the resources available around me to make a difference and put a dent in those numbers," Ba said. "Since then, I've become involved in local and statewide efforts to increase voter participation through UM Voting Ambassadors and Mississippi Votes.

"I truly believe that there is no greater way of embodying Southern hospitality than working to increase pathways to civic participation so that everyone in a community is taken care of."

In college, she has served as an Ole Miss voting engagement ambassador and worked with Mississippi Votes as a democracy in action fellow and a One Girl, One Vote research fellow.

She was also selected last year for the Douglass-O'Connell Global Internship and has interned with AkiDwA, a national network of migrant women living in Ireland, the Emerson Collective and PwC, one of the world's largest professional services firms.

"It showed me that creativity in community engagement is a powerful tool for ensuring how the needs of community members are heard and met on a local level, and I've been able to apply these lessons in my voting engagement work here in Oxford," she said of working with AkiDwa.

Ba also presented to the United Nations during a global town hall forum and served as a U.S. delegate for the World Health Organization. She is a Yale Law School Launchpad Scholar, a Stamps Scholar, a Coca-Cola Scholar and a QuestBridge Scholar.

Truman recipients receive $30,000 toward furthering their education through graduate or professional schools, participate in leadership development programs and get opportunities for internships and employment within the federal government.

If selected for the Truman Scholarship, Ba said she plans to pursue a Juris Doctor and to continue her focus on voting and civil rights. She wants to bring what she learns back to Mississippi.

"I feel deeply that it is important for Mississippians, and anyone for that matter, to explore the world and engage with the communities and ideas around them," she said. "In doing so, we can act as a kind of sponge and scribe, bringing the lessons we gain back home.

"Mississippi is my home, and it is such a beautiful state with a spirit of service. It would be the greatest honor of my life to dedicate my career to carrying on the legacy of leaders from our state who have worked to ensure that people are equipped with the knowledge and resources necessary to participate in our civic process."

Top: Aminata Ba, a junior public policy leadership and economics major from Southaven, is a finalist for the Truman Scholarship. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services