Knightly News

“I am marching into my future with a greater sense of stability and purpose in what I am passionate about and how I plan to achieve it.” Quentin Messer ’22

Episcopal graduate Quentin Messer is one of only 54 college students selected as a 2025 Truman Scholar. According to the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation, the 54 students were chosen from 743 candidates nominated by 288 universities. “Established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and a national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship carries the legacy of our 33rd President by supporting and inspiring the next generation of public service leaders,” the Foundation’s website states. Scholars are selected for their leadership potential, a commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector and academic achievement. Truman Scholars receive funding for graduate school, leadership training, career counseling and internship and fellowship opportunities.

“Candidly, I am still processing what it means to me because there are a lot of emotions surrounding it,” says Messer of being named a Truman Scholar. “However, I know for sure it is an immense honor to represent my family and the other communities of care that have poured into me throughout my life. This award is not mine, but for those communities of care and individual people who believed in me even when I didn’t. It was also confirmation that public service is where I am meant to build my career and contribute meaningfully to society.”

The idea of becoming a Truman Scholar first crossed Messer’s radar as an Upper School student when his teacher, Dr. Billy Pritchard, suggested it. “I was attracted further by the opportunity to become a member of a community of scholars committed to public service,” says Messer. “Truman’s emphasis on empowering and aiding the development of the next generation of American public servants was profoundly impactful. The class-based nature of Truman was also enticing, as it meant that each scholar would be part of a larger class of like-minded individuals who also shared the same goals and commitment to public service. Overall, the number of doors Truman can open and has already opened is remarkable.”

The Academic Bona Fides

As an Episcopal student, Messer was an active member of the student body. He was a member of the National Honor Society, Cross Country and Track team, Select Choir, Mock Trial, 8th grade mentor, Student Ambassador and theater cast member. “Episcopal prepared me to be a relentless explorer of any place and space I entered,” says Messer. “While at Episcopal, I was encouraged to ask questions and seize all of the opportunities that were available to me. Having an educational foundation that instilled these qualities in me allowed me to identify opportunities, like Truman, that would enable me to gain a greater perspective about myself, my passions, and the world around me. Episcopal also gave me the academic bona fides to keep up with the best of the best from the Northeast or West Coast, and wear being from the South like a badge of distinction.”

That preparation and inquisitiveness have served Messer well. “I have had experiences and opportunities presented to me that would have seemed unimaginable to my Episcopal self,” says Messer. “First, I have spent four consecutive summers in Washington, D.C. I had the honor of serving twice as a U.S. Senate Intern in Washington in 2022 & 2023. Having the privilege to go to work where the policies that affect everyone’s lives are created proved to be a profoundly impactful experience.” In addition, Messer interned at the Council on Foreign Relations and Micron Technology.

Global and College Service

“This past academic semester, I spent three and a half months in Cameroon, a country in Central Africa, studying development and social change through the School for International Training,” says Messer. “My time in Cameroon was deeply resonant, with some of the highlights being living with the Oungene’s my beloved host family that only speaks French, spending a week in a remote rural village in Western Cameroon, and conducting an independent study project that explored how order was constructed in the informal economy in Yaounde.”

Messer is also actively involved in student life at Hamilton College, majoring in World Politics. He has served on the student government association throughout his time at Hamilton and was nominated, elected and appointed to the Presidential Search Committee. He also serves as a Career Communities Team Member through the Career Center and works with the admission office as a student tour guide.

“Overall, I have been keeping myself very busy and have Episcopal to thank for teaching me from a young age how to manage a vibrant curricular and co-curricular life,” he says. “My advice to students graduating from Episcopal would be to attend a school that, through its curriculum, culture and mission, will enable you to grow and unlock experiences and understanding of yourself that you never conceived to be possible. Hamilton has done precisely that for me, and I could not be more grateful to faculty members like Dr. Pritchard, who encouraged me to take a chance on the liberal arts college in Clinton, New York.”

Quentin Messer has already accomplished so much in such a short time that it is hard to imagine what he will do in the long term. No doubt, he will excel as a Truman Scholar and continue to explore the world and his place in it. Join us in congratulating him on such early success as he takes the next step in his academic journey.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2025-2026 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.