Student Spotlight
Karleigh Hovemo
Karleigh Hovemo is a Graduate Student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) and a Graduate Intern at the Southern Nevada Water Authority. Karleigh graduated with a Bachelor’s in Chemistry at UNLV. Currently, she is finishing her Master of Science in Engineering specializing in Environmental Engineering. Karleigh has been working at Southern Nevada Water Authority for four years, one as an undergraduate intern and three as a graduate intern.
Karleigh first heard about Nevada Water Resources Association (NWRA) during a unit operations class through a guest speaker. That speaker turned out to be Mark Gookin! After Mark shared flyers that detailed the benefits of becoming a NWRA member, Karleigh became a student member. She shares that participating in conferences was a great way to become involved with NWRA as a student. She also stays in the loop by receiving emails detailing new events, seminars, and opportunities to grow as a water professional.
Since becoming a member, Karleigh received an award from NWRA! At the 2026 Annual Conference hosted in Las Vegas, Karleigh received 3rd place and the Student’s Choice award for the Student Poster Competition. Congratulations!! It was a delight to host your poster and learn about your research project.
Karleigh shares that NWRA will be able to assist her career development by continuing to present opportunities to share her work and create connections with established professionals. It has also been helpful for her to connect with other students and learn about their research and experiences in different sectors of the water world.
Karleigh advises students that the best way to take advantage of opportunities that NWRA offers is to join the email list. Receiving news about the Annual Conference and events has been very helpful in developing her skills as a young water professional, as well as connecting her with other people in the industry. Additionally, Karleigh encourages students to be active by engaging in the events hosted by NWRA, applying for scholarships, and presenting at the Annual Conference. By the same token, she hopes the students immerse themselves to connect with other people that are passionate about water in all its forms.
For the Board of Trustees, Karleigh believes more virtual or Las Vegas-based events would help continue to engage students and increase their involvement with NWRA. She is excited to gain more experience with NWRA and looks forward to what the future holds for such an important organization.
Thank you for sharing your advice and suggestions, Karleigh! We appreciate your confidence and enthusiasm. Keep up the great work! We look forward to your future contributions to Nevada’s water resources and NWRA. Good luck with your remaining courses, internship, and launching into the next phase of your career!
