Concord school board member and undergraduate student from the University of New Hampshire, Jonathan Weinberg, has been named as one of the recipients of the 2023 Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the nation’s highly regarded scholarship for students who aspire to contribute to public service.
“I’m very excited and grateful,” said Weinberg, 23, a Carsey School of Public Policy student at UNH. “Financial support for grad school is always a nice incentive and it opens up a lot of networking opportunities.”
This year’s Truman Scholar selection process resulted in 62 students being chosen out of a pool of 705 candidates, with Weinberg being the only student from New Hampshire to receive this award.
At the age of 21, Weinberg was elected to the Concord school board to represent District B, making him the board’s youngest member. This was at a time when the school district was going through a tough phase, with the community’s trust in the school board waning after the sexual assault case of Concord school teacher Howie Leung came to the forefront.
Weinberg remarked that his involvement on the school board fueled his passion for public education even more.
As part of the scholarship selection process, he submitted a policy proposal centered on education funding reform in New Hampshire. The proposal’s key goals were to enhance state funding and responsibility, while also introducing changes to the funding system to ensure equal access to resources for all students.
“It’s so challenging because there’s no income or sales tax and revenue streams are already very tight,” said Weinberg. “New Hampshire’s culture of local control and libertarianism sometimes doesn’t make more state responsibility an appealing route.”
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship, named after former President Harry S. Truman, grants up to $30,000 in support for graduate study in public service subjects such as public policy, government, education, and environmental studies.
Scholarship recipients also get access to leadership development activities and the opportunity to join a community of Truman Scholars committed to making a positive impact on society.
Public service, according to Weinberg, involves facilitating more access to information and resources that help individuals learn about available institutions.
It also includes creating an inclusive environment that enables other individuals to pursue public service opportunities and empowering emerging leaders to take on leadership roles.
As Weinberg’s term on the school board comes to an end, he hopes to see another young person take on the role and to continue to foster interest in foreign language programs among younger students.
“I think creating a culture where younger people feel like elected positions are accessible to them is something I would love to see on an institution level,” said Weinberg.
