Today's Graduates, Tomorrow's Leaders
Meet Emily Powers: child advocate, Truman scholar, and Princeton bound. Now meet Ken Hynes: perfect GPA, engineering prize winner, and energy innovator.
Powers and Hynes are two of nine outstanding graduates highlighted at May's commencement ceremonies for their remarkable academic and community achievements.
Promising Young Leader
Powers' combination of academic excellence and advocacy for children's issues makes her one of Southern Nevada's most promising young leaders.
In 2008, Powers became the first UNLV student in two decades to earn the coveted national Truman Scholarship, which recognizes leadership, academic talent, and the likelihood that the winner will make a significant difference through future public service. She also was named a Nevada Regents' Scholar and served as field organizer for the nonprofit Every Child Matters campaign.
"Emily Powers is a young woman with real intellect, personal integrity, authentic concern for others, and a sincere desire to serve our society," said Peter Starkweather, dean of the Honors College. "Her experiences have transcended the academic world and had influence on real people in true crisis, providing her an excellent foundation for a lifetime of service."
Powers graduated summa cum laude with dual degrees in English and political science and minors in theatre and communication studies.
During her time at UNLV, Powers founded Art Smarts, an art therapy program at Shade Tree Shelter, co-founded the UNLV chapter of the National Organization for Women, and served as a press intern for U.S. Sen. Harry Reid. This summer, she will join the Global Fund for Children in Washington, D.C. before starting the master's program in public affairs at Princeton next fall.
One of the Best Students Ever
Hynes attained a remarkable 4.0 GPA in mechanical engineering while serving as an undergraduate research assistant in the university's Center for Energy Research.
In April, Hynes earned the grand prize at the College of Engineering's Senior Design Competition for developing a power meter that promotes energy conservation by tracking home energy use in real-time through a touch screen display. The project garnered attention from local media and netted high praise from Bob Boehm, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering.
"I can truly say that Ken is an outstanding student, in the top 1 to 2 percent of all students I have ever known in my long career," Boehm said.
Hynes also participated in the elite High Tech program, a series of international engineering student seminars held in Munich, Germany, and sponsored by the German National Agency for the Support of International Cooperation. Hynes is currently considering a career in the United States Air Force.
Read more on all of UNLV's outstanding spring 2009 graduates.
