Alumna & advocate nominated for Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship

Alumna & advocate nominated for Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship

Contact: Nancy Knowles | Scholarship Co-Chair, Phi Kappa Phi Chapter #227
541-962-3795 | nknowles@eou.edu

May 9, 2013

LA GRANDE, Ore. (EOU) – Eastern Oregon University’s chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi has nominated alumna Dawn Schiller for the 2013 Phi Kappa Phi Graduate Fellowship.

Schiller’s application has been forwarded to the national organization, which means she is eligible for a $5,000 or $15,000 award.

Phi Kappa Phi invites only the top 10 percent of seniors, 7.5 percent of juniors, and 10 percent of graduate and professional students to apply for membership. Chapters are allowed to forward only one fellowship application annually.

Schiller earned the nomination through academic achievements and numerous professional accomplishments. She is the author of a published memoir “The Road Through Wonderland: Surviving John Holmes” in which she details her escape from an abusive relationship with the notorious porn star.

Now Schiller is the director of the fledgling non-profit Empowering Successful Teens through Education, Awareness and Mentoring (ESTEAM). Her commitment to combatting abuse and sex trafficking is evidenced through a rigorous calendar of speaking engagements and community collaboration.

Schiller will pursue a master’s in women’s studies at Oregon State University, where she will draw on her unique position as a survivor to collect interview data and encourage others to write survivor narratives to help end oppression. She will use this experience to build ESTEAM and to continue her advocacy on behalf of victims of abuse.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 and is headquartered in Baton Rouge, La. It is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines, with chapters at more than 300 select colleges and universities in North America and the Philippines.