Don (“Trey”) Murnane III, an honors student on the pre-law track at The Catholic University of America, has been selected as a 2026 Key Into Public Service Scholar by the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society.
The junior politics major from Whitesboro, NY, is one of just 20 students from a highly competitive field of nearly 800 applicants studying the arts and sciences to win this honor. The award comes with a $7,600 undergraduate scholarship — the amount representing Phi Beta Kappa’s founding in 1776 — and participation in a summer educational conference in Washington, DC, that will offer training, mentoring, and information on public service.
“We are incredibly proud of our students’ success in nationally competitive programs,” said Jenny Paxton, director of Catholic University’s honors program. “Trey will represent Catholic University beautifully, exemplifying the ideals of scholarship, citizenship, and service that we value so highly at our University.”
The scholars were selected based on a demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in local, state, and federal government.
Trey Murnane is one of just 20 students out of 800 applicants nationally chosen for this honor.
Murnane has completed internships in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. In the private sector, he has interned with the public affairs firm Woodberry Associates and the international law firm Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox. He spent the past two summers serving as an intern at the Oneida County district attorney’s office, and this summer, he will intern for the Oneida County Supreme Court.
"Receiving this scholarship is a profound honor,” said Murnane. “My time at The Catholic University of America has been defined by a unique combination of deep academic growth and real-world application. The rigorous mentorship from professors like Professors Matthew Green, Catherine Pakaluk, and Sarah Gustafson–paired with the unparalleled opportunities of working and studying in DC–has equipped me with a phenomenal foundation as I prepare for a career in law and public service.”
He is a seven-time Dean’s List honoree, a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies, and recently was selected as a Hertog Constitutional Studies Fellow. Beyond academics, he is a campus ministry student leader, student mentor for the politics department, and a student ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences. Murnane also serves as the executive vice president of the College Republicans and is a co-founder and president of the University’s club baseball team.
He plans to attend law school after college, with future goals to litigate constitutional issues at the appellate level and one day serve as a federal judge.
