UW students Evan Silvers and Douglas Ta’a (pictured) are among a group of 22 undergraduates from across the country to receive the 2013 LAGRANT Foundation Scholarship awarded to ethnic minority students pursuing degrees in advertising, marketing or public relations fields.
Both students, who received $5,000, will be honored at the 15th Anniversary LAGRANT Scholarship Recognition Reception and Awards Program in Seattle on May 30. The special event will include a dinner, career development workshop and the opportunity to meet with industry professionals.
Also a recipient of the 2013 OMA&D Mus Scholarship Award, Ta’a is majoring in business with an emphasis on information systems and marketing. He interned the last two summers at Boeing where he gained experience in the Business Test and Evaluation for Flight Test Operations department, as well as the Scheduling and Commitments department.
Ta’a is an active member of UW student organizations and is passionate about giving back to the community. He is a treasurer for the Polynesian Student Alliance and volunteers with Polynesian Outreach Programs. Through the UW’s Foster School of Business he is a mentor for the Young Executives of Color program and is a student ambassador for the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity’s Recruitment and Outreach team.
After graduation, Ta’a plans to pursue a career in consulting and hopes to one day own his own business or work for non-profit organizations that will allow him the “creativity, freedom and space to travel the world and make a difference in people’s lives.”
Silvers is a senior majoring in communications and sociology, with a minor in diversity. Like Ta’a, he is a student ambassador for the OMA&D Recruitment and Outreach team. Silvers is also a public relations intern for Recruitment and Outreach, helping with communications projects. He was a public relations intern with Viamount Records in Seattle, as well.
Silvers is active in student organizations including UW Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSSA), HollywoodUW and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He finds time to give back by serving as a mentor to students through the Achiever’s Scholar Program.
Since its inauguration in 1998, The LAGRANT Foundation has awarded more than $1.56 million in scholarships to students who continue to share its mission of increasing ethnic diversity in the advertising, marketing and public relations industries. The non-profit organization was established by UW and EOP alumnus Kim L. Hunter, ’82.