Announcing Phi Beta Kappa’s 2022 Key into Public Service Scholars 

Washington, D.C. May 2, 2022 – The Phi Beta Kappa Society, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society and a leading national advocate for the value of liberal arts and sciences education, announces today the 2022 recipients of its Key into Public Service scholarship in celebration of Public Service Recognition Week. Inspired by many Phi Beta Kappa members who have shaped the course of our nation through local, state, and federal service, the award highlights specific pathways for arts and sciences graduates to launch public sector careers. 

Chosen from nearly 900 applicants attending Phi Beta Kappa chapter institutions across the nation, the Key into Public Service Scholars hail from 17 states. These high-achieving college sophomores and juniors display notable breadth and depth in their academic interests, ranging from a chemistry major who is also minoring in economics and gender studies to an international studies, microbiology, and political science triple major.   

“The Society selected the 2022 Service Scholars for their intellectual curiosity; breadth and depth across liberal arts and sciences coursework; positive contributions on and off campus through academic research, internships, and community work; and demonstrated commitment to serve others,” Phi Beta Kappa Secretary Frederick M. Lawrence said. “As the world grapples with concurrent health, economic, democratic, and climate crises, the Society hopes that its scholarship award encourages more of our nation’s top students to apply their pursuit of arts and sciences excellence in service of the greater good.”

The Society congratulates the following exceptional students, their families, and chapter institutions:

Aylar Atadurdyyeva, University of Kansas
Miguel Coste, University of Notre Dame
Noelle Dana, University of Notre Dame
Grace Dowling, Clark University
Brandon Folson, Loyola University Chicago
Justin Fox, University of Maryland- College Park
Sora Heo, University of California - San Diego
Alec Hoffman, Clark University
Samiha Islam, State University of New York at Buffalo
Ruthie Kesri, Duke University
Katherine Marin, University of Florida
Sondos Moursy, University of Houston
Olivia Negro, Ursinus College
Emily Geigh Nichols, Stanford University
Paul Odu, University of Missouri
Vaidehi Persad, University of South Florida
Diba Seddighi, University of Tennessee
James Suleyman, Roanoke College
Jonah Tobin, Williams College
Muskan Walia, University of Utah

Each scholar will receive a $5,000 undergraduate scholarship and take part in a conference in late June in Washington, D.C. to provide them with training, mentoring, and reflection on pathways into active citizenship. 

It is a critical time to educate a new generation about opportunities in government and inspire them to consider a career in public service. Job openings in state and local government increased more than 50 percent between December 2020 and February 2022 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Furthermore, only 6.7 percent of full-time federal employees are under the age of 30, compared to 19.7% in the private sector. Additionally, one third of the federal workforce will become eligible to retire between now and 2025 according to an analysis of OPM data by the Partnership for Public Service. 

For more information about the scholarship and links to individual biographies of the recipients, please visit pbk.org/KeyintoPublicService.