Despite her nerves, Kelsi Jackson walked into the conference room at Pahrump Valley High School with her grandmother to be interviewed for a $100,000 scholarship. However, to her surprise, John Mowbray, trustee for the Charles and Phyllis M. Frias Charitable Trust, interrupted the interview to inform her that she had already won the 2023 Charles and Phyllis Frias Legacy Scholarship. Overcome with emotion, Jackson’s grandmother wiped away tears as representatives from the Public Education Foundation praised her for her accomplishment and presented her with a giant celebratory check. The scholarship awards $25,000 a year for four years of college to 15 high school seniors in Clark, Esmeralda, Lincoln, and Nye counties who maintain a GPA between 2.0 and 3.2, demonstrate financial need, and experience adversity beyond their control. Jackson’s adversity included the brutal murder of her mother in Las Vegas in 2019. Despite the challenges she faced, Jackson persevered and maintained a positive outlook on life. She plans to attend UNLV or an out-of-state college, and is grateful for the opportunity to carry on her education and be more than what she expected to be a couple of years ago.
