Entering college is one of the most exciting steps of your life, setting you up for an interesting career and lifelong friendships. It could also be your first step in changing your field, your community or even the world.
University of the Pacific is dedicated to helping potential leaders find and pursue their passions with the help of its largest and most prestigious scholarship, the Powell Scholars program. Each year, the program accepts a select few incoming and high-achieving students into its cohort.
If you want to be one of those students, here are some things to know about the program and some advice from current Powell scholars.
What is the Powell Scholars program?
Each year, Pacific chooses up to 10 incoming first-year students in different majors who show potential to become leaders in their communities or academic fields. These students receive an annual scholarship, along with funds for research projects and study abroad expenses. They’ll also benefit from a community of similarly driven peers and faculty mentors as they dive into education and research.
To become a Powell scholar, you will need to submit a scholarship application after applying to Pacific. But your preparations should start far earlier in high school. Students chosen for the program typically have an unweighted GPA of 3.7 or higher, have undertaken rigorous coursework when available (such as Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate classes) and have demonstrated leadership outside of the classroom.
Preparing to become a Powell scholar
Showing leadership can be challenging in high school because in many cases you must create your own opportunities. You’ll need to connect with your school body or local community and look for ways that you can step up. If you need some inspiration, we spoke with some Powell scholars to see how they demonstrated their leadership abilities in high school.
One of the easiest places to look is your own school. Does it have a student government or other roles that students can take on? This can be a great way to gain work experience and show leadership. That’s what Pacific Media X major Terrion Evans ’28 did.
“I was the class student representative, so I was the bridge between the faculty and student body,” Evans said. “I was also the executive producer for a concert that was a fundraiser that helped pay for us to go to a conference in L.A. this year.”
Student government isn’t the only way to show leadership. If you’re involved with student organizations like clubs or sports teams, you can find ways to make an impact in areas that interest you.
“I was part of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee,” said Sierra Schwarz ’28, who now studies sport management and sport analytics. She used her role on the committee to highlight and address problems female athletes were having at her high school.
“I was also the president of the Smile society, which was a club that was an LGBT support club,” Schwarz added. “It really helped the community and that’s something I hope to continue to take on at Pacific.”
Joining leadership in a student club is a great way to effect change on a topic you’re already interested in. But what if there is no club you’re interested in joining? Show your leadership and create one!
“I founded a club called the Green Team,” said Daniela Ceballos ’28, an environmental science major. “The purpose of it was to go around the community in San Joaquin County to clean up trash. I got a bunch of people that I knew and said, ‘Hey, are you free to clean up trash on this day?’ And it continued from there.”
A Powell scholar’s first year at Pacific
Learn more about what being a Powell scholar is like from Josephine Kinlan, a health and exercise sciences and Media X double major.
So what comes next?
Demonstrating leadership in your own school or community comes with challenges. It’s important to be kind to yourself in this process because there will be success and there will be failure. Both are signs that you’re trying.
“You can make mistakes,” Evans says. “There’s this unfortunate narrative that we have to be perfect. You don’t have to do everything right. Please, make mistakes! It humanizes you. You learn from it. … The more you avoid failure, when you actually fail, the harder it’s going to be to recover.
In the end, the best way to become a Powell scholar is not to focus too much on the program itself. Instead, focus on your passions and the ways you can positively influence the world.
Even now for Evans, Schwarz and Ceballos, being a Powell Scholar is more than just an scholarship and a community. It’s their opportunity to grow and inspire others to pursue their passions, no matter how big. With a foundation built on leadership, innovation and service, the program will continue to help the next generation as they create a better and brighter future.
If you would like to learn more about the Powell Scholar program, its students or how to apply, visit the Powell Scholar Page page on Pacific’s website. If you still have questions after visiting the website, you can reach out to Program Director Macelle Mahala at mmahala@pacific.edu.