Student of the Year Nominee Profile: Liya Palagashvili

Our profile today features Liya Palagashvili of George Mason University.  Over the past year Liya has distinguished herself through her prolific writing and organizing on behalf of liberty.  Not only is she a strong leader of liberty, but a strong leader in her general university community as well, participating in her school’s debate team, honors society,  and resident advisor program.  She has been active on campus by hosting events and distributing pro-liberty materials as well as nationally by publishing op-eds and even joining Students For Liberty in a debate against Students for a Democratic Society.

Here is a list of Liya’s many accomplishments for liberty this year.  The Student of the Year Award winner will be announced at the 2010 International Students For Liberty Conference on February 12th at American University.

• Writing
  • Published Op-Ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer with the SFL Health Care Op-Ed Project, October 2009.
  • Published article for the Citizens Against Government Waste on “Beach Houses: Owned by the Rich, Paid for by Everyone,” criticizing beach house bailouts, July 2009.
  • Published article for the Citizens Against Government Waste on “Obama’s 106 Billion Dollar War Supplemental,” June 2009.
  • Published in Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities.
  • Presented student paper at the Austrian Student Scholar’s Conference, October 2009.
• Students For Liberty Involvement
  • Selected  to present as a Student Panelist at the SFL Mid-Atlantic Conference, November 2009
  • Participated as a Student Panelist for the SFL Webinar: Successful Campus Speaker Events, October 2009..
  • Joined with Students for Liberty to debate Students for a Democratic Society, August 2009.
• Awards
  • Awarded the Southwestern Economic Development Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement.
  • Awarded the George Mason University Howard R. Bloch Economic Scholarship.
  • Awarded the Dean’s Award for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
  • Awarded the Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award.
  • Dean’s List, Fall 2007-Fall 2009 (with a cumulative GPA of 3.97).
• GMU Debate Team
  • Awarded as the First Place Speaker and First Place Team at the California State Fullerton Debate Tournament.
  • Awarded as the Second Place Speaker at the University of Miami Debate Tournament.
  • Awarded as the Second Place Speaker at the University of Southern California Debate Tournament.
• Liberty-Orientated Internships
  • Intern at the Institute for Humane Studies, Spring 2009. Researched new, pro-liberty faculty, disciplines, schools, etc.
  • Koch Summer Fellow, placed with the Citizens Against Government Waste, Summer 2009.  Researched and wrote articles and press releases on government legislation and spending for CAGW newsletters and media.
• Accomplishments as Vice President of the GMU Economics Society
  • Hosted a Health Care Reform Panel with panelists Stephen Davies, Robin Hanson, and Thomas Rustici to educate the general student public about the consequences of government-run health care.  October 14, 2009, Attendance: 100 +.
  • Participated in SFL Students Rights Week and passed out constitutions to economics classes.
  • Organized and co-hosted the Economic Liberty Lecture Series (dinner, lecture, and libertarian social hour) with the Future Freedom Foundation. Previous speakers included Lew Rockwell, James Bovard, Peter Boettke, Robert Higgs, Thomas DiLorenzo, Steve Horwitz, Bruce Fein, and Lawrence Reed.  Had an attendance of 140+ for the Economic Liberty Lecture Series with Lew Rockwell.
  • Hosted a debate between GMU Economics Professors Bryan Caplan and Robin Hanson on Efficiency vs. Liberty – which one is more important?
  • Hosted these speakers to educate students on liberty, economics, and the rule of law: Ben Powell, Richard Ebeling, Ed Stringham, Charles Rowley, and Mark Skousen.
  • Held the “Internship & Seminar Information Session” to expose students to opportunities with FEE, IHS, Koch, SFL, AEI, CATO, and many other organizations.