Image: This article was originally written by Stephanie Schupska and posted by UGA Today International affairs and Russian undergraduate among 54 students chosen for scholarship nationwide University of Georgia senior Mercedes Bengs is one of 54 undergraduates from 49 colleges and universities across the nation to be selected as a 2025 Truman Scholar, a prestigious award given each year to students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential and commitment to a career in government or the nonprofit sector. Bengs is from Aberdeen, South Dakota, and is studying international affairs in the School of Public and International Affairs and Russian in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She is a cadet in UGA’s Air Force ROTC, is in the Russian Flagship Program and is a Russell Security Leadership Program Fellow. When she commissions into the Air Force, Bengs will continue a family legacy as a fourth-generation military servicemember; her father retired from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel. Bengs is currently a mission support group commander in the Air Force ROTC. The Truman Scholarship provides funding for graduate studies and opportunities for training, internships and fellowships. This year’s Truman Scholars were selected from 743 candidates who were nominated by 288 colleges and universities. “The University of Georgia congratulates Sadie on this outstanding achievement,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Her selection as UGA’s 23rd Truman Scholar speaks to the talent and dedication of our students and the commitment of our faculty to provide world-class learning experiences.” Bengs will graduate from UGA in 2026 after studying abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where she will complete her capstone year for the Russian Flagship Program. She will then pursue a master’s degree focused on Russian, East European and Eurasian studies. She wants to continue research on the use of artificial intelligence during combat from the perspectives of both international policy and technology development. Her goal is to understand AI and its uses in an attempt to help better regulate it. A graduate degree in Russian studies also allows Bengs to become a foreign area officer when she achieves the rank of captain in the Air Force. After completing further training, she hopes to represent the Air Force in an embassy, supporting U.S. diplomatic efforts and developing cross-cultural relationships. “Sadie’s commitment to her country can be seen in the way she has prepared to be a public service leader,” said Meg Amstutz, dean of the Morehead Honors College. “The Truman Scholarship is a wonderful acknowledgment of all her hard work, from her language skills to her investment in the Russian Flagship and Security Leadership programs.” Bengs researches national security issues as a Security Leadership Program Fellow, writes articles about Belarussian news for the Russian Flagship’s ARCS — Areas Where Russian is Commonly Spoken — initiative and helps other students develop their Russian language acquisition through the UGA Russian Club. Her interests in lethal autonomous weapons systems and Russia’s use of artificial intelligence against civilians have won her research grants through the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the UGA Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. She is also an active member of Phi Beta Kappa, served as commander of the UGA Valor Honor Guard and worked to boost retention and community impact as vice president of Silver Wings, a joint civilian and Air Force ROTC community service organization. In summer 2024, Bengs was the business manager at Waldsee, Concordia’s German Language Village dedicated to cultural and linguistic immersion. While studying abroad at the Baltic Center for Educational and Academic Development in Latvia in summer 2023, she conducted research on remote warfare in Ukraine as an intern for the Latvian Institute of International Affairs. In 2022, she was selected as one of three UGA students to attend the Flagship Hackathon and serve as a Flagship Tech Ambassador in the following year. In April, Bengs was selected for the 2025 Iris Burton Bulls Fellowship, a program designed to mentor and support future military officers in their career development. Established by Congress in 1975 as the living memorial to President Harry S. Truman and a national monument to public service, the Truman Scholarship supports and inspires the next generation of public service leaders. For more information, visit https://www.truman.gov/.
