Scholarship Helps Law Alumnus Give Back

Some people follow their passions to the far-reaches of the globe. In the case of Miles Dickson ’06, ’11, his passion keeps leading him right back to where it all started: Las Vegas.  

The 2011 graduate of UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law is positively zealous in his determination to play a meaningful role in the community that raised him, and which his family has called home since the 1930’s.

“Great things are possible in Las Vegas,” explains Dickson. “The city was built by ambitious people who had big, brash ideas--people who created their own destinies. My parents created a good life for themselves, and were driven to provide an even better life for their kids. My goal is to help people come together so that they feel they and their kids will have promising futures right here.”

When Dickson, who earned a BA in journalism from UNLV’s Greenspun College of Urban Affairs in 2006, decided to pursue a law degree, UNLV was his top choice. The law school scholarship fund, privately supported by individuals, businesses and foundations, helped make that possible.

“The Boyd School of Law was built by and for this community. I was very fortunate to receive scholarship support. I’m truly indebted to those who had the can-do attitude and vision that made my education a reality.”

He found that attending law school made him a more aware citizen and gave him the skills he needed to be an effective advocate for making things happen. “My experience at Boyd was hugely relevant. It changed how I approach and understand complex situations,” he says. “It helped develop my analytical abilities so that I am more in tune with what people need, and what outcomes are realistic.”

As a law student, Dickson had many opportunities to delve into how policy, law, and community come together—and experienced first-hand how an individual can affect change. He spent a semester in public service at NIRP, the Nevada Immigrant Resource Project. He volunteered with families at the Nevada Mediation Clinic, and spent time in Carson City as a 2011 legislative extern. He also interned at Three Square, the Southern Nevada food bank that provides the equivalent of nearly 16 million meals per year to neighbors in need. There he coordinated the 2009 Southern Nevada Hunger Symposium and the resulting report, Hunger’s Impact on Our Community: Envisioning a Food-Secure Southern Nevada. The scale of the organization and the scope of the challenge to eliminate hunger locally and nationally provided a context for Dickson to explore his conscience and his ambitions. That experience also provided the impetus and connections that led him to his current venture. Dickson and founding Three Square CEO Julie A. Murray, who is also a UNLV alum, have created Moonridge Group, a consulting company that provides services in strategic philanthropy and non-profit management.

With characteristic optimism and conviction, Dickson promises, “We can build our state back up, and build it better. We can stay and affect change. We can stay here in Nevada and succeed.”