Regents’ 2019 Scholar Awards Announced
The Regents’ Scholar Awards for 2019 have been announced by the Nevada Board of Regents, honoring eight students for their academic achievements, leadership ability and service contributions throughout the state.
Each recipient will receive a $5,000 stipend funded by the Nevada System of Higher Education administration.
“These eight students represent the future of Nevada and I’m proud of their accomplishments,” said Regents Chair Kevin J. Page.
The honorees include:
Naree Asherian will be graduating from the College of Southern Nevada this spring with not only her high school diploma, but also an Associate of Business degree. She plans to transfer to UNLV to finish her Bachelor of Business degree within two years. She also works as a student ambassador for the Positively Arts.
Sandra Solis is a first-generation student at Great Basin College whose goal is to attend medical school after completing her undergraduate degree this fall. She was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) undergraduate research fellowship last summer to work on a Molecular Genetics project with NIH in Phoenix.
Keely Biggs worked four jobs to pay her way through Nevada State College and will soon begin a paid graduate program in Biology at UNR. She worked on several research projects to develop her skills as a scientist at NSC and participated in a mission to bring science and medicine to a remote Mexican village.
Ahtziry Vasquez is a Dean’s List student and Upward Bound Trio Scholar who will graduate with an Associates of Science degree from Truckee Meadows Community College and an Advanced High School Diploma. As TMCC Student Government Association President, she is active on campus and in the community.
Hannah Patenaude is a UNLV Honors College undergraduate student with dual majors in Chemistry and Communications who has demonstrated excellence in research, academics, leadership and service at UNLV and in the Las Vegas community, where she volunteers as a counselor and mentor to burn survivors.
Saruna Ghimire is focused on global health research as a doctoral candidate in Public Health, with an Epidemiology and Biostatistics concentration, at UNLV. A native of Nepal, her long-term research goals are to provide new insights and directions in aging research to promote healthy aging and longevity worldwide.
Hannah Huntley, a printmaker who believes in making art more accessible to the public, will graduate this year with a Bachelor of Fine Art at UNR. She was instrumental in opening a non-profit community print shop in Reno to expand Reno’s communal art scene and encourage creativity that connects with others.
Hector Arciniega is a first-generation Ph.D. student working in UNR’s Memory and Brain Laboratory where the focus of his research is the behavioral and neural mechanisms of working memory in older adults and victims of traumatic brain injury. He shares his love of the brain in outreach to schools and juvenile detention centers, providing an example that an academic research career is possible.
As an integrated system NSHE’s institutions, UNLV, University of Nevada, Reno, the College of Southern Nevada; Great Basin College; Nevada State College; Truckee Meadows Community College; Western Nevada College; and Desert Research Institute, can address all higher education needs from community college through doctoral and professional programs.
