UNLV Honors College student Zachary Billot has racked up accolades at a pace that may one day make him the most awarded undergraduate in the university’s history. Now, he can add another rarity to his growing resume: Rhodes Scholarship finalist.
Billot, a senior, is pursuing dual majors in Political Science and Environmental Studies. Earlier this year, he became the first UNLV undergraduate to earn both the Truman Scholarship and Udall Foundation Scholarship – two of the nation’s most competitive awards for undergraduates – in the same year.
As a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship, which is widely regarded as the most prestigious graduate scholarship in the world, Billot becomes just the fourth UNLV student to reach this stage of the process. Finalists participate in interviews in November, with the winners announced later in the month. If Billot is awarded the scholarship, he would be UNLV's first Rhodes Scholar.
“Being named as a Rhodes Scholarship finalist is a major accomplishment for me, the many people I have met, and my home away from home, UNLV,” said Billot. “While I await an interview to determine if I am a Rhodes Scholar, I am beaming with pride that a first-gen student from Las Vegas could make it this far.”
Billot has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his time at UNLV, which includes a dual major, a minor in Brookings Public Policy, and meeting requirements for both the University Honors and the Research & Creative Honors programs. He has a passion for environmental policy and international relations, which has guided his work as an undergraduate. His honors thesis research focuses on the ramifications of climate change on the lives of youths in Sub-Saharan Africa, and he helped spearhead a university-wide climate action plan unveiled this fall that will guide UNLV’s sustainability efforts in the coming years.
“Zach has a coherent vision for a more inclusive and sustainable world, and he embodies what I want UNLV to be – a change agent with a plan,” said UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield. "His character is marked by integrity, compassion, and a profound sense of duty. He is not merely content with academic success but driven by a genuine desire to effect positive change in the world.”
On campus, Billot has played a number of leadership roles in student organizations. He has served in student government, as vice president of the Model United Nations, and as vice president for the Honors Student Council in the Honors College. He’s also a regular volunteer with Get Outdoors Nevada and an accomplished musician, participating as a violinist in UNLV’s Symphony Orchestra.
“Zach’s record of local, state, and international service and engagement is as long and storied as his family's history in Las Vegas, where one of his great grandfathers was a laborer who helped build Hoover Dam,” said Andrew Hanson, dean emeritus of the UNLV Honors College and one of Billot’s mentors. “He is an easy-going go-getter and a quiet leader who can engage in discussions at the highest level on a variety of world topics. He is truly outstanding and a great Rhodes candidate.”
Rhodes Scholars are chosen annually following a two-stage process. Applicants, which number in the thousands each year, must be endorsed by their college or university. From there, selection committees in 16 districts review materials and invite the strongest candidates – approximately 200 – to participate in district-level interviews. Billot is a representative of District 15, which includes Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, and Northern California.
Each year, 32 U.S. students are among more than 100 Rhodes Scholars worldwide selected based in part on academic excellence, commitment to service, ambition for social impact, and leadership potential. Recipients earn a fully funded postgraduate award to study at Oxford University. The first U.S. Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904.
