LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Policy Research Institute today announced that Ryan Everson, a recent graduate of Coronado High School, is the latest recipient of the Professor R.S. Nigam & NPRI Freedom Scholarship.

Ryan Everson receives a $2,500 scholarship from NPRI President Andy Matthews, left, and scholarship provider Swadeep Nigam. Everson is the winner of the 2015 Professor R.S. Nigam & NPRI Freedom Scholarship.

Scholarship applicants were asked to write an essay explaining the best way to improve education in Nevada. In his essay, Everson made a strong case for why expanding school choice in Nevada is favorable to raising taxes because it would increase student performance without needlessly hurting taxpayers.

In his essay, Everson wrote:

There is a mountain of evidence proving that school choice is an effective way of improving Nevada’s education system, but there is also ample evidence proving that increased spending is not an intelligent option, and we need look no further than our own public schools to see that. Glenn Cook of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes that at the elementary level, one- and two-star schools in Nevada spend over $1,200 more per student than the five-star schools. The same results can be seen on a national level as well. According to a U.S Census Bureau report published in May 2014, Indiana, Colorado, Florida and Washington all have very low per-student expenditures compared with the national average. Yet earlier this year, the American Legislative Exchange Council ranked each state’s schools among the top 10 nationally. This completely debunks the myth that you need high expenditures to have successful students, and proves that states that spending much more money on K-12 education are cheating their taxpayers through inefficient spending.

In addition to his exemplary essay, Everson — who plans to attend Arizona State University in the fall — has an impressive academic record, participates in numerous extra-curricular activities, and has a strong record of volunteering.

“Ryan’s essay showed not only a deep understanding of free-market principles, but a strong ability to communicate that knowledge to others,” said Swadeep Nigam, who provides the scholarship. “His argument was supported by research and makes clear that school choice is the only way to effectively improve education in Nevada. Ryan’s involvement in his community and school also made him the stand-out applicant for this scholarship.”

Ryan, who has an impressive 4.68 GPA, has served as president of the Columbian Squires youth group at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church for three years where he has led annual coat and blanket drives, as well as school supply drives for underprivileged Nevada students. Additionally, he organized a donation drive to help rebuild St. Mary’s Catholic Church after it was destroyed in the 2011 tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri.

This is the fifth year NPRI has offered a college scholarship to a deserving Clark County graduate. The award is named after Professor R.S. Nigam, who was a director of the Delhi School of Economics at the University of Delhi, a visiting professor at the College of Business at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a senior fellow at the University of Wisconsin, in addition to academic engagements in Europe, the West Indies and Asia, including North Korea. The award is made possible by Professor Nigam’s son, Swadeep Nigam, who has generously donated the scholarship. He is an active member of NPRI and has resided in Las Vegas for the past 28 years.

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