The Truman Scholarships is the second major award received by Elander this spring. Last month she was named to the 1999 USA Today Scholastic All-American third team. Elander is one of just 65 Truman Scholars selected from among 657 candidates nominated by 332 colleges and universities. She is joined by Andrew Holder of Missoula, a former classmate at Missoula Hellgate High School now attending Lewis and Clark College. In fact, his step-mom was my second grade teacher.
Scholars also receive priority admission and supplemental financial aid in graduate program.
In addition to the monetary reward, Elander looks forward to the introduction to a community people with similar goals and values as she. Another of Elander's interests, chronicling the views of children of divorce, has led to award-winning undergraduate research as well as a publishing contract. Her research project on kids' advice to divorcing parents is set to be published sometime in 2000 by the American Counseling Association. Elander, whose parents divorce when she was four, said the idea for the book came when she was about six. I told my mom that kids needed a way to communicate their opinions about divorce.