Alexandra Prather Wins 2012 Johnson Opportunity Grant at Washington and Lee University

LEXINGTON, VA (05/22/2012)(readMedia)-- Alex Prather from Houston, Texas, a sophomore at Washington and Lee University, has been selected for the spring/summer 2012 Johnson Opportunity Grant. The Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity awards 25-30 grants each year.

Prather, a double major in economics and politics, will travel this summer to the village of Pampoyo, Bolivia, to work with W&L's Engineers Without Borders (EWB) on its water and sanitation project. With hardly any rain, villagers must find other sources of water for irrigation.

Unfortunately a mining facility up the mountain has polluted the stream that acts as the village's main source of water. EWB is creating a reservoir to bring safe water from a local stream to improve the quality of arable land in the area by 400 percent. EWB is also constructing sustainable and sanitary latrines for the villagers. With the help of Rotart International, the group is also constructing a health clinic.

Prather is a member of Chi Omega sorority.

The grants cover living, travel and other costs associated with the students' proposed activities, which are designed to help them with their future careers and fields of study. The grants vary in amount from $1,000 to $4,500 and are funded as part of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity.