It has been 31 years since Loyola was home to a Truman Scholar, but now economics and political science junior Rana Thabata will join the prestigious list of students claiming the honor, Associate Director of Public Affairs Patricia Murret announced in an email today.

Thabata is the first female Loyola student to be awarded the honor for students pursuing careers in public service, and is the fourth Loyola student to ever be honored overall.

The Truman scholarship awards approximately 60 students across the country a $30,000 scholarship for their graduate school education, Murret said. This year, Thabata is the only student in the state of Louisiana to be named a scholar.

Not only has Thabata served on the Student Government Association as a senator and, most recently, chief justice, but she also played an integral part in the creation and installation of Iggy’s Cupboard, a food pantry designed to address food insecurity on campus.

Thabata is a native New Orleanian and hopes to one day foster positive growth in the public education system.