Fund for Education Abroad Receives $650,000 Gift from Mexican-American Photographer Malú Alvarez to Fund Scholarships for Study Abroad

The Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship will fund five scholarships each semester Read the full press release here. WASHINGTON, DC, March 20, 2019 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) received a gift of $650,000 from Mexican-American Photographer Malú Alvarez to fund scholarships for study abroad. Named the Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship, the donation will endow five…

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The Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship will fund five scholarships each semester

Read the full press release here.

WASHINGTON, DC, March 20, 2019 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) received a gift of $650,000 from Mexican-American Photographer Malú Alvarez to fund scholarships for study abroad. Named the Malú Alvarez Global Access Scholarship, the donation will endow five semester scholarships to be awarded each year for study in any country of the students’ choosing. This gift is part of FEA’s “Bringing the World Home” comprehensive campaign, launched in 2017.

Building on her multicultural heritage, international education, and passion for seeing the world, Malú focused her photography career on culture and travel. With shoots from Montenegro to the Sahara, West Bengal to Bora Bora, her portfolio boasts a kaleidoscope of countries, people and colors, with collaborations on behalf of The New York Times, The New Yorker, Travel + Leisure,  and non profits including School Year Abroad.

Based in Austin, Texas, and New York City, she also served as an Artist in Residence at the Kriti Gallery in Varanasi, India in 2012.

“I feel that it is very important to support FEA in its efforts to give as many underserved students as possible the opportunity to see a new country and get to know its culture. It is a significantly life-enriching experience, and one that I have been so blessed to have many times,” said Malú. “On a personal level, these students will grow tremendously during their time abroad, and this will help shape them into confident leaders with a global perspective.”

In addition to receiving a Bachelor of Arts from Davidson College in North Carolina, Malú studied in New York at the International Center of Photography, in Paris with the Vassar-Wesleyan Program, and in Turks and Caicos at the School for Field Studies. She is a recent graduate of Sattva Yoga Academy in Rishikesh, India, where she is currently pursuing further study.

“FEA is able to support promising students because of the generous support and passion of world-travelers like Malú, who have experienced education abroad first-hand and want to share that opportunity with those who are least likely to study abroad,” said Martha Johnson, FEA Board chair and Assistant Dean, Learning Abroad, University of Minnesota. “We are quite excited that Malú’s gift adds to our growing endowment to ensure the good work of FEA continues in perpetuity.”

Changing the face of study abroad programs to better reflect the rich diversity of the United States, FEA awards substantial scholarships, helping students underrepresented in study abroad enrich their education and, in turn, change the world. A total of 290 scholars have benefited from over $1.3 million in scholarships granted since FEA’s inception in 2010.

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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 Platinum participant, and won 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, and Instagram and Twitter: @FEAScholarships.