The NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship will be administered by FEA.
Read the full press release here.
WASHINGTON, D.C., February 12, 2019 – The Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) received a pledge of $90,000 from NAFSA: Association of International Educators to fund scholarships for African American undergraduate students to study abroad. Named the NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship, the gift will fund multiple scholarships each year.
Tamara H. Bryant, who immigrated to the United States from Rangoon, Burma in the 1960s, established an endowment at NAFSA to foster intercultural exchange through the provision of scholarships. Bryant left Burma during World War II as a refugee, traveling more than 1,500 miles to India by foot, and eventually settled in the United States. Through her journey in life, Mrs. Bryant came to realize the difficulties women faced in reaching their potential in the workplace – particularly, women of color in her newly adopted country. With the recognition of these challenges, her endowment was established at NAFSA to assist promising, globally-minded students in achieving their career goals.
FEA will award these funds to African-American undergraduate students in the United States who hope to study abroad, and who also embody Mrs. Bryant’s spirit of resilience and commitment to intercultural exchange, per her endowment purposes. Students who fit these criteria are eligible to apply through FEA.
“We are thrilled that with the help of our friends at FEA, NAFSA can help realize Tamara Bryant’s wish to foster intercultural exchange for African-American students,” says NAFSA CEO and Executive Director Esther D. Brimmer.
With this scholarship, FEA expands its existing relationship with NAFSA, which includes a sponsorship of FEA’s Annual Scholar Gala. The NAFSA Tamara H. Bryant Memorial Scholarship with FEA allows the organizations to deepen their shared commitment to diversity and inclusion in study abroad.
“We are so grateful for our long-time collaboration with NAFSA,” said FEA Chair Martha Johnson. “This new scholarship supports FEA’s goals to be the premier foundation and partner for executing programs that promote diversity and inclusion in study abroad.”
FEA scholars come from a variety of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and represent higher education institutions across the country. Students study across the globe, from a minimum of four weeks to a full academic year. FEA funds scholarships of up to $10,000 for study abroad.
###
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.
About NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange. NAFSA’s 10,000 members are located at more than 3,500 institutions worldwide, in over 150 countries.