Program News
Gabriel Bick Obtains Title of International Master
Gabriel's Certificate From the FIDE President
April 2020
Powell Scholar Gabriel Bick (Computer Science) earned the distinction of International Master from the International Chess Federation (FIDE [Fédération Internationale des Échecs]). The International Master title is the highest title a chess player can attain behind Grandmaster and World Champion. Congratulations to Gabriel for this prestigious honor!
Powell Alumnus Andrew Lu Creates Video for Pleasanton Music Students
April 2020
Powell Scholar alumnus Andrew Lu (Music Education, '19) is a band, orchestra, and choir teacher at Hart Middle School in Pleasanton, CA. In mid-April, Andrew organized and created a video (above) with the Pleasanton School Distric music educators to help all the K-12 Pleasanton music students know that their teachers love them and miss them during the school shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Also featured in this video are two other Pacific Conservatory alumni, Erik Nishimori and Jonathan Pedroni.
Class Instruction Moves Online
Powell Research Proposal Seminar via Zoom
March 2020
On March 23, 2020, all clases at University of the Pacific were moved to online instruction for the remainder of the semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty and students have worked together to come up with creative ways to continue coursework through video conferencing technologies such as Zoom and WebEx. Pictured above is one of the meetings for the Powell Research Proposal Seminar, hosted through Zoom.
Dr. Rick Hutley Presents at the Freshman Leadership Seminar
Dr. Rick Hutley and his robot, Misty
October 2019
The Powell Freshman Leadership Seminar frequently features presentations from prominent leaders. In October 2019, Dr. Rick Hutley, director of Pacific's Data Science Program and former CIO (Chief Information Officer) at Cisco Systems, presented to the Freshman Powell Scholars in the Leadership Seminar. He is pictured above with Misty, a robot whom he is developing to specialize in interactions with autistic students.
Emilie Jenkins Completes Internship in Ireland
Emilie Jenkins in Ireland
September 2019
This past summer, Powell Scholar Emilie Jenkins (Graphic Art) was fortunate enough to participate in an internship with an established design firm in Ireland. She called Dublin home for the two months she was there and was able to strengthen her design skillset, as well as gain exposure to the realities of a design career, while interning with DesignWorks in the heart of the city. Emilie worked closely with senior designers and creative directors to develop a handful of projects. Most notably, her two largest undertakings were both for the National Gallery of Ireland. The first was an exhibition called “Renailssance”—Emilie was responsible for mapping out the entire installation and overseeing media production. After it’s launch in July, Emilie worked on creative concepts for an initiative driven by the National Gallery to help introduce young adults to museum itself and potential future creative careers in the arts. Referred to as “Primer,” Emilie developed a brand identity and design system for the program, which she applied to a slew of print media and digital platforms. Her internship culminated in her presenting her concepts to the board of directors at the National Gallery of Ireland. Of course, Emilie took every opportunity she could to travel around the country on the weekends, and she even made it to Northern Ireland and Scotland, deepening her knowledge of the culture and history all along the way. An enriching and priceless experience, she feels extremely privileged to benefit from the Study Abroad Funding provided by Rob and Jeanette Powell through the Powell Scholarship. Emilie will always have a piece of her heart in Dublin.
Diego Sandoval Receives UK Summer Fulbright Fellowship
Diego Sandoval
June 2019
Junior Scholar Diego Sandoval (Bioengineering) is the Powell Scholars Program's first ever recipient of a UK Summer Fulbright Fellowship. This is a three-to-four week program for US undergraduate students that gives students the opportunity to explore the United Kingdom while pursuing higher education at a UK university.
Diego will participate in a three-week summer program on technology, innovation, and creativity in Scotland, studying at the University of Strathclyde and the Glasgow School of Art. This is one of the most prestigious and selective summer scholarship programs worldwide.
I am very grateful to have the opportunity to travel to Scotland and learn about its culture of innovation. As a Fulbright summer programme participant, I will have the chance to explore Scotland, learn about its cultural heritage, and experience higher education at two of the UK’s leading universities. By participating, I hope to gain a deeper appreciation for Scottish culture and return with a renewed sense of determination to continue pursuing a career in innovation as a patent attorney. I also hope to take advantage of this opportunity to determine if I may be interested in pursuing a graduate-level Fulbright Award at some point in the future.
~ Diego Sandoval
Emilie Jenkins, Editor and Chief for Calliope Graphic Design Team
Emilie Jenkins (right) with the 2019 Calliope Team
May 2019
Junior Scholar Emilie Jenkins (Graphic Art), Graphic Designer for ASuop (Associated Students of the University of the Pacific), was the Editor in Chief for the Calliope Graphic Design Team. The Calliope Journal, released annually, features original art, poetry, prose, fiction, and essays created by Pacific's students and juried by the student editorial staff for final publication.
Scout Cooper-Wilson Receives Critical Language Fellowship
Scout Cooper-Wilson
May 2019
Sophomore Scholar Scout Cooper-Wilson (Media X) is the Powell Scholars Program's first ever recipient of a Critical Language Fellowship at the Middlebury Intensive Language Institute in Monterey, CA.
In this eight week program I’ll be attending intensive classes five days a week, earning eight academic units. I will be one of three students from Pacific going for Arabic. SIS [School of International Studies] is funding my tuition and part of housing. I am very grateful to have been accepted and for SIS’ financial support! I hope to use the skills I’ll gain this summer while studying abroad in Jordan my third year, and eventually maybe working in the Middle East post-grad.
~ Scout Cooper-Wilson