2011 President’s Scholar announced

EOU names Rellani Ogumoro as the 2011 President’s Scholar

News contact: Laura Hancock | University Advancement
541-962-3585 | lhancock@eou.edu
June 7, 2011

LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) – It takes a special person to be a true advocate for human rights and confront difficult issues to make the world a better place – someone like Rellani Ogumoro, the 2011 EOU President’s Scholar.

Since arriving at EOU four years ago from Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Ogumoro has been an active member of the university community. She served as ASEOU president during her junior year and applied for and received competitive internships with the United Nations in New York and with the Public Leadership Education Network in Washington, D.C.

These programs introduced Ogumoro to the behind-the-scenes policy work being conducted on Capitol Hill and throughout the world, addressing women’s issues and human rights as a whole. While in D.C., she also spent time at Courtney’s House, a non-profit organization supporting victims of child sex trafficking.

The experience validated Ogumoro’s desire to become involved with public policy reform. Her extensive participation in service programs resulted in being named a 2011 Truman Scholar – the first EOU student to garner this distinction. The award will provide financial support for her to attend graduate school, where she will continue to pursue her passion for helping others.

Ogumoro’s parents, Jack and Lauri (Bennett) Ogumoro, of Saipan, are both EOU alumni in the class of 1982. Lauri is originally from La Grande. Ogumoro’s older brother and sister are also Eastern graduates, as are numerous other members of her family.

Ogumoro is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in gender studies. She will address the class of 2010-11 at the formal Commencement exercises on Saturday. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. at Community Stadium.