WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2021 – One year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) has increased access to international education by offering 91 flexible scholarships totaling more than $350,000 to students traditionally underrepresented in study abroad. These scholarships are deferrable through summer 2022, a deferral period that has been extended twice to help students achieve their dream of study abroad despite the current disruption to higher education and international travel.
Including this new cohort, a total of 705 scholars, including students of color, first-generation college and community college students, have benefited from over $2.2 million in scholarships granted since FEA’s inception in 2010. Of these scholars, 240 have been awarded deferrable scholarships during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This application cycle, 92% of awarded scholars identify as students of color: 2% Middle Eastern or North African, 20% Black/African-American, 23% Asian/South Asian, 31% Hispanic/Latinx, and 16% identified as mixed race. Additionally, 90% of these scholars are first-generation college students, 9% currently attend community college, and 32% transferred from community college to their current four-year institution.
“I am humbled to award these deserving students FEA scholarships in my final weeks as Director,” said departing FEA Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “The past, present, and future FEA scholars are the reason I intend to stay very involved with FEA as a donor and supporter. I can’t wait to see all that these students, and FEA, will do.”
FEA awards many different types of scholarships, including Named Scholarships that are funded by specific donors, Designated Scholarships that are destination- or demographic-specific, and Access Partner Scholarships. FEA Access Partners engage in the mission of the organization through annual support towards co-branded and allocated scholarships, and they participate on the Access Advisory Board, providing critical leadership-level feedback to FEA.
FEA Scholars:
- Manuel Acosta, University of Arizona, France
- Bethel Aklilu, Western Kentucky University, South India Term Abroad (SITA) Nallennam Scholarship
- Katherine Alvarado, San Francisco State University, Germany
- Tagira Alvarenga, Mills College, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Katey Alvarez, California State University, Dominguez Hills, South Korea
- Amanda Amezquita, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Czech Republic, Martha and Jeff Johnson Family Scholarship
- Mesoud Awol, Brandeis University, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Roberta Baliukaite, Benedictine University, Denmark, The A. Rewari Family Scholarship for Study in Denmark
- Ciara Bates, Illinois Wesleyan Universityv, South Korea, Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship
- Rafael Bermudez, Jr., Lehigh University, Argentina
- Shaneice Board, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, Thailand
- Khaliah Booker, Fontbonne University, France, Jan Kieling Rainbow Scholarship
- Jaylyn Briggs, Western Kentucky University, South Korea
- Fehintola Bright-Awonuga, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Kenya, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship
- Natasha Chaiyarat, Brandeis University, France, Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship
- Bobbi Coffee, Western Kentucky University, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Bri Curran, Davidson College, United Kingdom,Simpson Sisters’ Scholarship
- Alexander Davis, Knox College, India, South India Term Abroad (SITA) Nallennam Scholarship
- Jayleen Del Angel, San Francisco State University, Japan
- Abigail Delao, University of Nevada, Reno, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Marie Dere, Columbia University, France, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship
- Husnaa Formoli, University of California, Davis, South Korea
- Josephine Foster, University of Texas at Austin, Morocco
- Abraham Garcia Nunez, Sonoma State University, France
- Summer Gary, Western Kentucky University, Netherlands
- Dontay Givens, Wheaton College, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Mayra Gomez, University of Houston, Spain
- Adela Granados, University of Arizona, South Korea
- Robbie Griffin, University of North Georgia, Greece, Eleni Zachariou Memorial Scholarship for Study in Greece
- Dalia Haymov, American University, Japan
- Minh Ho, University of Houston, Virtual Spanish Language Program
- Taniyah Holmes, Miami Dade College, United Kingdom, Breakout Scholarship for Community College Students
- Odaly Jimenez, Nova Southeastern University, South Korea
- Regine Jones, University of Texas at Austin, South Korea, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship
- Troy Etta Knox, University of South Carolina, Columbia, Ghana, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship
- Linus Kolk, Case Western Reserve University, Kenya, Rainbow Scholarship
- Cam La, University of Texas at Austin, Thailand, Hiliary Echo Douglas Memorial Scholarship
- Thanh Lam, San Francisco State University, South Korea
- Sirena Linton, University of Arizona, Italy, Kacenga-Cladera Family Rainbow Scholarship
- Suelen Lopez Razo, University of California, San Diego, Germany, Gugel-McPherson Family Scholarship
- Marina Loza, Middle Tennessee State University, Austria
- Madison Madrone, University of California, Santa Barbara, South Korea, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship
- Ketsia Malala, University of North Georgia, South Korea
- Maria Martinez, Berea College, Tanzania
- Oo Meh, Western Kentucky University, Tanzania, Artigas-Etchegaray Scholarship
- Chelsea Mendoza, University of Arizona, Spain
- Ashley Miznazi, University of Texas at Austin, United Kingdom
- Sahra Mohamed, Augsburg University, Jordan, Steckley-Weitzel Family Scholarship
- Shayna Morales Soto, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Spain
- Ariella Nash, University of California, Irvine, Spain
- Suzy Ni, Middle Tennessee State University, South Korea
- Jessica Obispo, University of Houston, South Korea
- Judith Obregon, Georgetown University, Spain, Artigas-Etchegaray Scholarship
- Priscilla Ong, University of San Francisco, Vietnam, David T. Parry Founders Scholarship
- Niki Patel, Western Kentucky University, South Korea
- Liv Peralta, University of Hawai’I at Manoa, Japan
- Hong Phuoc Vu, San Francisco State University, Thailand
- Romina Pinto, University of South Carolina, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Savannah Price, University of Kansas, France
- Lilibeth Ramirez, University of Texas at Austin, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Ayesha Rehman, State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase, Japan
- Isaiah Richardson, Western Kentucky University, South Korea, NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship
- Tasia Riley, Willamette University, UK, Kacenga-Cladera Family Rainbow Scholarship
- Gabriela Romero, University of Washington, Tacoma, Spain
- Tania Romero, San Francisco State University, South Korea,J. Scott Van Der Meid Memorial Scholarship
- Joselin Rosales, Georgetown University, South Korea, Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship
- Anabel Serna, University of Arizona, Spain
- Shukrana Shukrullah, James Madison University, United Kingdom, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Edrees Sidiqi, University of Washington, Denmark, The A. Rewari Family Scholarship for Study in Denmark
- Jadalee Takara, Menlo College, Japan
- Dominique Talley, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Peru
- Rubi Tapia, University of California, Irvine, Spain
- Kelly Tran, California State University of Channel Islands, Mexico
- Linda Tran, University of California, San Diego, South Korea
- Anaya Truss-Williams, University of Maryland, College Park, UK, Cyril Taylor Memorial Scholarship for Study in the UK
- Amarylis Valentin, Boston College, Netherlands
- Kayla Vang, Portland Community College, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship
- Kimberly Vega, Borough of Manhattan Community College, Ghana, Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship
- Vanesas Villatoro, Texas A&M University, France
- Bianca Xiao, Temple University, Taiwan
- Pei-Wen Yang, University of California, San Diego, South Korea
Access Partner Scholars:
- Salma Ahmed, Brandeis University, Madagascar, SIT Access Partner Scholarship
- Liliana Corbett, Portland State University, Denmark, DIS Access Partner Scholarship
- Ysabella Herrera, Skyline College, United Kingdom, AIFS Access Partner Scholarship
- Glorimar Jaramillo, Franklin & Marshall College, Denmark, DIS Access Partner Scholarship
- Axel Jeconiah, University of Texas at Austin, Denmark, DIS Access Partner Scholarship
- Katherine Kjos, Wheaton College, Denmark, DIS Access Partner Scholarship
- Sidney Mhlanga, University of Houston, Spain, AIFS Access Partner Scholarship
- Aisha Osman, Portland State University, Egypt, American University in Cairo (AUC) Access Partner Scholarship
- Jessica Sang, Swarthmore College, Sweden and China, CET Access Partner Scholarship
- Anthony Viola, California State University, Chico, Greece, AIFS Access Partner Scholarship
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About the Fund for Education Abroad
The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) is a 501(c)(3) whose mission is to provide scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population, making life-changing, international experiences accessible to all by supporting students of color and first-generation college students before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs. FEA Access Partners participate on the FEA Access Advisory Board (AAB), established to share best practices in international education and actively engage in FEA’s mission to increase the number of Americans studying abroad. FEA is a Guidestar Gold participant, and won the 2019 Scholarship Provider of the Year Award from the National Scholarship Providers Association, the 2015 Diversity Abroad Excellence in Diversifying International Education Award and GoAbroad.com’s 2015 Innovation in Philanthropy Award. Follow FEA at www.fundforeducationabroad.org, and on Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr and on Twitter: @FEAScholarships.