SIT Study Abroad partners with the Fund for Education Abroad

Publication Date: April 11, 2018
Publication Location: Brattleboro, VT
Contact: Kate Casa  |  [email protected]

SIT Study Abroad partners with the Fund for Education Abroad
to increase opportunities for underrepresented Students 
Introducing the 2018 FEA SIT Scholars

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont – In partnership with the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA), SIT Study Abroad is pleased to announce that six of 100 study abroad scholarships awarded by FEA this cycle will go to students participating on SIT programs.

The scholarships, which provide financial accessibility for underrepresented U.S. undergraduate students participating in study abroad programs, have helped to double the numbers of FEA scholarship recipients this year.

Scholarship recipients come from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds and represent higher education institutions across the country. On SIT programs, they spend a summer or semester in the country of their choice, earning academic credit toward degree completion, while blogging for FEA and SIT about their experience.

“The future leaders of NGOs, large corporations, and in government need to reflect the diversity of our country,” said SIT Director of University Relations Mory Pagel. “FEA reaches these students and provides them with the necessary funding to study abroad and establish a worldview that will help them go on to be the effective leaders they aspire to become.” 

An FEA Access Partner, SIT participates on the FEA Access Advisory Board.

“As an Access Partner, SIT has once again shown its deep commitment to access and inclusion in international education,” said FEA Executive Director Jennifer Calvert. “Their programs help a diverse next generation of Americans develop career skills with the world in mind.”

Including this year’s scholarship recipients, a total of 268 scholars, including minority, first-generation college and community college students, have benefited from over $1.3 million in scholarships granted since FEA’s inception in 2010. This year, 93 percent of the students are of minority backgrounds, and 91 percent are first-generation college students. Thirty-three percent of all the FEA scholars have a community college background.

The 2018 FEA SIT Scholars and their SIT program locations are:

  • Paul Chambers (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona), Summer 2018, Jordan
  • Selena Chambers (Virginia Wesleyan College, Virginia), Fall 2018, Jordan
  • Caressa Nguyen (Evergreen State College, Washington), Fall 2018, Vietnam, Morocco, Bolivia
  • Michael Savage (Franklin & Marshall College, Pennsylvania), Summer 2018, South Africa
  • Jasmyn Thomas (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina), Summer 2018, China
  • Maricella Xiong (Bethel University, Minnesota), Fall 2018, Indonesia

SIT Study Abroad offers more than 80 immersive semester and summer programs for undergraduate students in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, as well as comparative programs in multiple locations. Students on SIT programs step beyond the boundaries of a traditional classroom to analyze the critical issues shaping local communities around the globe.

The mission of Fund for Education Abroad 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, established to share best practices in international education and actively engage in FEA’s mission to increase the number of Americans studying abroad.