UNLV award drought ends
A 22-year-old UNLV student was awarded the prestigious Harry S Truman Scholarship on Wednesday, ending a 21-year drought in award-winners from the university.
Emily Ann Powers, a senior majoring in English and political science and minoring in theater and communications, is one of 65 college students nationwide to win the award this year.
She is also just the third student from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to win the $30,000 scholarship, and the only student from Nevada to have received it since 2003, when a Nevadan attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado was given the award.
"Since I'm a native of Las Vegas, it's really important to me to have deep roots in the community," Powers said. "This community means so much to me. I just want to give back."
The Truman Scholarship, named after the nation's 33rd president, is aimed at recognizing college students with "exceptional leadership potential" who are committed to work in the public sector.
The last Truman award-winner from UNLV was Martin Dean Dupalo in 1987, who went on to get a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon University in public management and is now a political science instructor at UNLV.
"For her, it's about public service, not self-service," Dupalo said of Powers. "It's a tremendous opportunity for her and those she serves."
Powers said she wants to apply the award toward law school at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and get a master's degree in social work. She plans on returning to Las Vegas to work on child welfare and social issues.
For UNLV, the award is a sign of progress toward fostering and attracting more prestigious award-winning students.
Powers said she was encouraged to start working toward the scholarship her freshman year by then-UNLV Honors College Dean Stephen Rosenbaum.
Political science professor David Fott, himself a Truman Scholar, said Powers' win could help pave the way for other UNLV students to achieve the lofty award.
"They don't always aim high enough, as high as they should, because the best students that we have are capable of succeeding anywhere -- but they don't always know that," Fott said.
Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0440.
