U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Named UMass Boston JFK Award Winner
Graduate Hopes to Become Advocate for Veteran Affairs
(Boston, May 27, 2009) -- University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley today announced that U.S. Marine Corps veteran Dominique Powell has been chosen as the recipient of the 2009 John F. Kennedy Award for Academic Excellence.
Powell, a 27-year-old political science major and criminal justice minor, has served both as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and an airman in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. She will address thousands of gathered fellow graduates, families, and friends as she receives the JFK Award at UMass Boston’s 41st Commencement Ceremony on May 29, the 92nd anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s birth.
“The John F. Kennedy Award is one of the highlights of commencement at the University of Massachusetts Boston,” said Chancellor J. Keith Motley. “It is a time when we recognize greatness, hope, and service – what we saw in President Kennedy and what we see in our students. I am so pleased to honor Dominique with this award because she has more than earned it: she lives the ideals for which it stands.”
After four years of active duty in the US Marine Corps—spent mostly at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina—Powell, of Dorchester, began her undergraduate degree at UMass Boston in 2005. Since then, she has served as a student member of the Undergraduate Disciplinary Board, the Dean of Students Advisory Committee, and the Affirmative Action Plan Hearing Board. She has also worked as an orientation leader for New Student Orientation and earned an almost perfect grade point average.
“I respect and admire Ms. Powell,” UMass Boston Political Science Professor James. F. Ward wrote in support of Powell for the JFK award. “She brings energy and enthusiasm to all of the work she does at UMass Boston—her academic work as well as her extensive service work.… She is a person who exemplifies what we have in mind when we say that someone ‘gives back.’”
Although thrilled to receive the award, Powell said all she strived for during her time at UMass Boston was to do well in school and help others. “I feel great, but I’m still in shock that I won because I wasn’t going for [the JFK award],” she said. “I was just doing my thing, and working and trying to get good grades.”
Her most challenging and valued time at UMass Boston, Powell said, has been working as the Student Veterans Center coordinator helping address veteran issues and volunteering at Veterans Upward Bound, tutoring math and science to veterans interested in a post-secondary education. “I knew what veterans in Veterans Upward Bound were going through, and I wanted to help send them back to school,” Powell said. “One of my goals after graduation is to continue working with veterans in a non-profit setting.”
Barry Brodsky, director of Veterans Upward Bound at UMass Boston, hired Powell first as a volunteer and then as a part-time staffer at the center. He said in addition to her academic skills, Powell brought to the program a relentless dedication to veteran affairs.
“Not only is Dominique a military veteran, but she is active in the veterans community,” Brodsky said. “She was running the Veterans Center, putting on seminars on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and she was very sensitive to those issues, especially working one-on-one with students who had to confront those obstacles.”
Powell’s future plans include running for Congress, advocating for veterans rights, and continuing to make a difference in the lives of others.
“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” Powell said, borrowing the words of the man whose bust she will carry off the stage after her commencement speech.
The undergraduate JFK Award is given to one student who demonstrates an excellent academic record, has a commitment to service, and acts as a good citizen of the university and world. Each year, the recipient of the award receives a $1,000 honorarium, a bust of John F. Kennedy, and the opportunity to speak at their commencement ceremony. Powell is the 32nd UMass Boston JFK winner.
About UMass Boston
With a growing reputation for innovative research addressing complex urban issues, the University of Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s seven colleges and graduate schools serve more than 14,000 students while engaging local, national, and international constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.