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The Nakayama Scholars
The Nakayama family endowed the Nakayama Public Service Scholarship to support students interested in responding to the world’s challenges through careers in public service.
Nakayama Scholarship
The Nakayama family created an endowment specifically to support highly motivated students who want to work on our world’s challenging problems by engaging in public service careers. Public service for this scholarship is typically defined as careers in organizations that end in .edu, .gov, .mil, or .org. This is the only Duke-funded merit scholarship that currently enrolled students may apply directly for in their junior year. The scholarship will cover one half of the scholars’ tuition in their senior year (2 semesters).
President Vincent Price has said, “Our students, faculty, and staff are directly engaged in improving lives and communities in our region and around the world, demonstrating real leadership in the policy field.” The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship is an important investment in further promotion of this endeavor for some of our most driven students headed into lives of such engagement.
In addition to the monetary award, the selected cohort of scholars will engage with Duke faculty and public servants in a variety of fields for mentorship and career exploration. The activities and engagement will be driven by the interests and aspirations of each year’s selected scholars. The distinguished board of directors enjoy working with the Nakayama Scholars as they prepare for their careers using their Duke education in service to society.
Public Service—Truman Scholarship
For rising juniors who are interested in careers in public service, you might consider applying for the Truman Scholarship in the fall. Public service for this scholarship (similar to the Nakayama) is typically defined as careers in organizations that end in .edu, .gov, .mil, or .org.
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Spotlight on Rhiannon Camarillo
Rhiannon Camarillo is a senior majoring in Public Policy. Committed to criminal justice and public safety reform, she focuses on policies that expand access to second chances and rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement. Rhiannon spent her summer interning at an advocacy-focused plaintiffs’ firm in Washington, D.C., and conducting research for her honors thesis on expungement access in North Carolina. She also serves as a volunteer for the Durham Expunction & Restoration Program and is an active member of the Duke Justice Project. Through her engagements, she hopes to promote more equitable and responsive justice systems.
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History
The Nakayama Public Service Scholars Program was established in 2021 through the generosity of Yukio and Toshiko Nakayama. Yukio Nakayama was born in Tacoma, Washington, on June 17, 1919, attended Duke University on a scholarship, and graduated in 1941 with a B.A. in economics. He went on to graduate from Columbia University in New York with a masters in public law and government. Mr. Nakayama served his country well during World War II in the Army. After the war, he worked as a Director of Weapons Program Evacuation and Management Systems, Naval Ordinance Systems Command. Mr. Nakayama was known for helping young people further their education. He passed away at the age of 90 on April 4, 2010. After Mrs. Nakayama's passing in 2013 at the age of 93, their estate helped to establish three endowments at Duke University, including a scholarship endowment at Trinity Arts & Sciences.
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The Nakayama Public Service Scholarship was established in 2021 to support students interested in responding to the world’s challenges through careers in public service. Through the Office of University Scholars and Fellows, Nakayama Scholars are also part of a larger intellectual community at Duke that consists of merit scholars and intellectually engaged students.