UNLV student named Truman Scholar

By Ian Whitaker

Thursday, April 21, 2016 | 1:54 p.m.

A UNLV junior is one of only 54 students nationwide this year to earn the prestigious title of Truman Scholar, the university announced today.

Administrators broke the news this week to Hannah Kelley, an education major who says she wants to work as a teacher in the Clark County School District after graduation. Kelley is a member of the Honors College and holds a 3.99 GPA.

“I never gave myself the credit for the things I could accomplish," she said in a statement. "I’m very humbled by this award."

She is the fourth UNLV student to be named a Truman Scholar since 2008, and the second Honors College student to do so. Truman Scholars receive a $30,000 scholarship toward graduate education and the satisfaction of knowing they stand among the highest-achieving students in the country. A record 775 students were nominated by colleges for the award this year. The list was whittled down to 200 finalists, who were interviewed by judges earlier this year.

Kelley, who will depart for the Mediterranean this summer to contribute to an Israeli arts and culture blog, said she was motivated by the opportunity to give back to the community where she was raised by becoming a teacher in CCSD. Truman Scholars are required to come up with a 15-year plan that includes up to five years of teaching before they pursue graduate work.

“I want to start out as a teacher in the Clark County School District — the community that literally gave me everything I have,” Kelley said in a statement.