Aeriel Halstead, a junior double majoring in psychology and communication studies, was the featured student speaker at the recent 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó Foundation Annual Dinner. The event highlights how donors have helped the university improve programs, reach into the Southern Nevada community, and enrich the lives of students. She received four merit-based scholarships, including the Mary V. and John P. Hughes Provost Scholarship for valedictorians from the state.
In this speech, Halstead, a Las Vegan who graduated at the top of her class from Del Sol High School, explained why she choose 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó.
I was born in 1993, the same year my parents filed for bankruptcy. We learned a few things that year: 1) the stork has a stricter lay away policy than Walmart, and 2) being named after a princess does not guarantee a royal life. But what my parents could not provide financially, they made up for tenfold in wisdom and love.
I attended a Title I high school with the highest drop-out and pregnancy rates in the Valley. Even so, I learned that with loving parents, hard work, and wise decisions, I could do and be something special.
Graduating as valedictorian, I had many options for college, including a full-ride offer from a top university. But I also received an offer from 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó's Honors College. I chose 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó. I chose 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó because, under the surface, it offered everything I sought at renowned schools. I chose 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó because I love this community. I chose 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó because I could achieve here what I could achieve anywhere.
My experience as an honors student at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó rivals that of any top-ranked school. I plan to earn a Ph.D in industrial organizational psychology, and use it to help local nonprofit organizations.
But let me be clear: Without the investment from donors like you, students like me would not be here. And it's not just the scholarships I received. It's that I can walk in the Lied Library and feel inspired. I can attend a Black Mountain, Brookings or Barrick Lecture and be intellectually stretched. I can go to a Runnin' Rebels game and join a legacy. You built all of this -- YOU are why I chose 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó.
And it's why I -- and the thousands of 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó students I speak for -- share an inexpressible gratitude for your generosity.
But there is more to do. We could fill this room with amazing students who will miss out on all that 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó promises if the scholarship well runs dry. We need them -- those striving to be doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, business leaders. Your investment in us makes more of a difference than you realize -- without it, many of us will never become what this community needs.
Since my Disney princess days, I have found that noble heritage has less to do with tiaras and tea parties, and far more to do with the choices you make. I am royally blessed to have received your support. Thank you for giving, thank you for caring, and thank you making 51³Ô¹ÏÍøÍòÄÜ¿Æ´ó a school worth choosing.
