She worked her way through school in four years and graduated with a degree from the Reynolds School of Journalism. Powers served two internships during her undergraduate years, one at Advertising Age in New York and the other at the Reno Evening Gazette. After graduating in 1972, she accepted a position at the Evening Gazette and began her 43-year career with the paper at what was then called the “Women’s Page”. Her column led to the establishment of a local fund to finance the procedure. After retiring from the Gazette Journal in 2015, Powers joined the May Arboretum and Botanical Garden as a volunteer.