Congratulations to U of I Political Science student, Thomas Dowling, on receiving the 2017 Truman scholarship ! What an outstanding achievement! Thomas is majoring in both political science and history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has dedicated himself to restoring a culture of civic engagement in the American political system and local electoral politics. As a student, Thomas has conducted research on civic engagement in local and state elections, and on union political participation. He is a James Scholar, Public Engagement Fellow, Civic Leadership Fellow, Hertog Fellow, Fulbright participant, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff to State Representative Carol Ammons and interned for the AFL-CIO, the Sanders 2016 campaign, and the Center for American Progress. He is the co-founder and CEO of YOUTHink Politics, a 501(c)4 status nonprofit dedicated to engaging high school students in local government. Outside of his work in politics, Thomas can be found bragging about his home city, Chicago, powerlifting, and reading historical nonfiction.