WSU Honors Alumna Megan Crenshaw Earns 2012 Gates Public Service Law Scholarship at UW

Megan Crenshaw

Washington State University graduate Megan Crenshaw (’11 Communications/ Broadcasting, Political Science and Honors) is one of five students selected for The William H. Gates Public Service Law Program at the University of Washington School Of Law.

Through full-ride scholarships, the Gates Program offers financial support to students in return for five years of public service law practice.

“It’s not as flashy,” Crenshaw says, “but public service law can help make way for others, enabling them to reach heights they never thought possible.”

Crenshaw, a Marysville, Wash. native, will pursue her law degree on top of her current master’s degree in public affairs that she began in 2011.

“Doing them together will help me to look at cases in a different way and bring some diverse perspectives to class discussions,” Crenshaw says.

In addition to her studies at UW, she is an intern at One World Now!, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing young leaders through mentorship, as well as Literacy Bridge, a non-profit organization that helps poor communities worldwide gain access to knowledge and learning resources.

Crenshaw plans to work in public education to address underfunding of schools and eliminate inequity in the system, she says.  Her ultimate goal: an appointment as the U.S. Secretary of Education.

“I want to be an advocate for reform,” Crenshaw says.  “Education problems are at the root of many of society’s problems.”

While at WSU, Crenshaw was involved with a plethora of student organizations including The Associated Students of Washington State University, the Black Student Union, Coug Guys and Gals, and the Office of Multicultural Student Services.  She was on the President’s Honor Roll several times.

In 2009, Crenshaw received a WSU President’s Award for exceptional leadership and service to the university and the Pullman community.  She was also featured in promotional material for the Campaign for Washington State University and the WSU Office of Equity and Diversity.