Asuka Koda, a Yale College student who will begin her senior year this fall, was recently selected a 2026 Truman Scholar, a prestigious graduate scholarship for aspiring public service leaders in the United States.
She is one of just 55 exceptional college students nationwide selected as a Truman Scholar.
Truman Scholars - who are chosen for their outstanding leadership potential, commitment to a pursuing a career in government or the nonprofit sector, and academic excellence - receive funding for graduate studies, leadership training, career counseling, and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.
Members of this year's cohort were selected from 781 candidates nominated by 305 colleges and universities. The scholars were recommended by 17 independent selection panels based on the finalists' academic success and leadership accomplishments, as well as their likelihood of becoming public service leaders. Regional selection panels included distinguished civic leaders, elected officials, university presidents, federal judges, and past Truman Scholarship winners.
At Yale, Asuka Koda is a majoring in Mathematics and Philosophy and is a Global Health Scholar. A journalist, she also covers science and health for CNN, writing on topics ranging from national vaccination policy to NASA's Artemis missions. She has committed to attend the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City through the Donald and Vera Blinken FlexMed early admissions program and plans to practice as a physician-journalist with the goal of reforming health communication policies nationwide.
Koda's commitment to democratizing scientific knowledge began early: in high school, she developed educational materials for the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, the New York Historical Society, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, translating complex information into accessible language for visitors worldwide. She also served as an executive member of the Chancellor's Student Advisory Council for the New York City Department of Education, representing 1.1 million students across the city's public school system.
At Yale, she serves as editor-in-chief of the Yale Scientific Magazine and SciTech Editor of the Yale Daily News, where her coverage of federal scientific grant suspensions drew national attention. She also conducts cancer immunology research at Yale School of Medicine, work that she says has grounded her policy ambitions and reporting in clinical reality. After her first year as an undergraduate, she was a White House intern in the Office of the Vice President under Kamala Harris, where she witnessed firsthand how journalism can cause policy change. Born in Tokyo and raised in Taipei, Singapore, and New York, Koda says that she draws on her global perspective in her work on American health systems and science communication.
The Truman Scholarship was established by U.S. Congress in 1975 as a living memorial to the late President Harry S. Truman, the country's 33rd president, and a national monument to public service.
"Resourceful, patriotic leaders, today's Truman Scholars would make President Truman proud," said Terry Babcock-Lumish, the Foundation's Executive Secretary and a 1996 Truman Scholar from Pennsylvania. "Rising to meet their moments in this century as he did his in the 20th century, they are dedicated public servants who do not shy from challenge."
This year's cohort joins a community of 3,673 past scholars, including Neil Gorsuch, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (a 1987 scholar), U.S. Senators Chris Coons '92 M.A.R., '92 J.D. (1983) and Andy Kim (2003), U.S. Representatives Gabe Amo (2009) and Dusty Johnson (1998), and Greg Stanton (1990), and former White House National Security Advisors Susan Rice (1984) and Jake Sullivan '98, '03 J.D. (1997).
View the full list of 2026 Truman Scholars.
