Josh Crowley ’27 has been named a Phi Beta Kappa 2026 Key into Public Service scholar. The honor was announced on May 4 by Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s leading academic honor society, founded in 1776.
Crowley is the first Pomona College student to win the award. Launched in 2020, it annually recognizes 20 undergraduates attending Phi Beta Kappa chapter institutions who have demonstrated interest in careers in government service at the local, state and federal levels.
Selected from nearly 800 applicants across the U.S., Crowley receives a $7,600 scholarship. He will also attend an educational conference in the nation’s capital in June, where the scholars will benefit from training and mentorship as they envision their pathway to engaged citizenship.
A politics major from Austin, Texas, Crowley says he has “never been content just participating in systems. I’ve always been more interested in who they are leaving out.”
He has gained experience as an intern with the Texas House of Representatives, the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Education, and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
These opportunities showed Crowley “how institutions actually function and where they fall short.” His career goal is to help find the gaps and build solutions to close them. “I want to increase civic participation and collective responsibility,” he says.
He has already started on that pathway. As a sophomore at Pomona, Crowley was the driving force behind the creation of the Sagehen Civic Scholars Program. The program matches undergraduates with internships in Claremont city government. Pomona students have undertaken projects such as helping raise citizen awareness of Claremont’s urban forest, organizing a device for tracking water use in city facilities, and researching best practices for decision-making about what community projects to adopt.
“An arts and sciences education prepares students not only to understand the world, but also to shape a future where democracy thrives,” says Phi Beta Kappa Secretary and CEO Frederick M. Lawrence. “The 2026 Service Scholars embody that spirit of engagement. They apply their learning to strengthen communities and advance the public good.”