Scholarship is first-ever funded by a former FEA Scholar and a community college graduate
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 23, 2020 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) received a gift of $12,500 from Sarahann Yeh and John Poor to fund the “Breakout Scholarship for Community College Students,” a scholarship for community college students who have never been abroad. The first-ever funded by a former FEA Scholar and a community college graduate, the scholarship is part of FEA’s “Bringing the World Home” capital campaign.
The named scholarship will fund summer scholarships of up to $2,500, beginning in 2020 and concluding in 2024, connecting deserving community college students with programs that best meet their educational objectives. The first recipient of the Breakout Scholarship is Nicole Banuelos of Skyline College. The summer 2021 application will open on November 16, 2020.
FEA Alumna Sarahann Yeh, who serves as a Foreign Service Officer at the U.S. Department of State, studied in China through an FEA scholarship in 2014. Her partner, John Poor, a GED-recipient and graduate of Whatcom Community College, currently works in supply chain management. The two met while pursuing their mutual passions for international relations as graduate students at Johns Hopkins University.
“I would not be where I am today without FEA. My FEA scholarship not only enabled me to spend one life-changing semester in China, but it gave me the confidence to look beyond my community and see how I could make a global impact,” said Sarahann. “I am so grateful for the opportunity FEA provided, and I want others to have access to similar experiences.”
“Coming from poverty, community college was the first place where someone told me I could be more,” said John. “Considering both of our experiences, we decided to jointly fund a scholarship through FEA to help students with similar educational backgrounds and interests reach their full potential.”
“We are so honored that someone who benefited from an FEA scholarship has returned to pay it forward only six years after her study abroad experience,” said Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “We’re incredibly grateful for our active network of alumni who give back, investing their time and resources into continuing the expansion of access to study abroad opportunities.”
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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 minority 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.