13 to Study Abroad on Donors' Scholarships

Posted on June 26, 2006

Carolina recently awarded more than $22,000 in need- and merit-based study abroad scholarships to 13 undergraduates.

The students, whose majors include nursing, psychology and international studies, will travel to places such as Taipei, Taiwan; Dschang, Cameroon; Moche Valley, Peru; and Paris.

UNC’s Study Abroad Office in the College of Arts and Sciences currently offers more than 300 study-abroad programs in more than 70 countries. At least 1,600 Carolina undergraduate and graduate students go abroad each year, the sixth-highest number among research universities nationwide, according to the latest Institute of International Education report.

“Students realize that obtaining a global perspective through study abroad is more important than ever in light of the rapidly changing international situation, and we are able to offer a wide range of programs to respond to their diverse interests and needs,” said Robert Miles, who directs UNC’s Study Abroad Office. “For many Carolina students, however, participation in a study-abroad program would not be financially possible without the scholarships supported by generous donors who believe in the benefits of an international experience.”

All UNC students who study abroad earn academic credit for their work.

The scholarships are supported by six endowment funds established by donors. They are part of more than $18 million raised to support study-abroad programs and scholarships during the Carolina First Campaign, the $2 billion fundraising campaign that runs through Dec. 31, 2007.

The scholarships, donors and recipients for 2006 summer and fall study-abroad programs are:

Bejarano-Benning Study Abroad Scholarship for Latin America

Leslie Benning ’79 of New York and her husband, Dr. Rafael Bejarano, established this scholarship in 2003. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation matched their gift. The fund provides at least one scholarship annually for study in Latin America. The recipient is:

• Tiffany Thompson, a sophomore nursing major from Cary, who will study as an exchange student for the fall semester at Monterrey Tech Cuernavaca in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Michael L. and Matthew L. Boyatt Award

Michael Boyatt ’56 of Beech Mountain established this fund in 1996 with his son Matthew Boyatt ’97 of Durham, who also received her law degree from Carolina in 2002. The fund provides merit-based study-abroad awards for undergraduate students majoring in international studies or history. Recipients are:

• Michael Turner, a junior international studies major from Elizabeth City, who will spend the 2006-07 academic year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
• Erica MacKenzie, a junior biology and international studies major from Barrington, Ill., who will spend the fall semester at the School for International Training’s Culture and Development program in Dschang, Cameroon.

Anthony and Hope Harrington Study Abroad Scholarship

Anthony Harrington ’63, the former U.S. ambassador to Brazil, and his wife, Hope, of Easton, Md., created the fund supporting this award with a gift in 2004. Harrington is a former chair of the GAA Board of Directors. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation matched their gift. The Harringtons established the scholarship to honor former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, who taught at UNC in 1974 and 1975. Lagos received an honorary degree from UNC in 2001. The fund awards scholarships annually for study abroad in Latin America. Recipients are:

• Laura Rincón, a junior international studies major from Windham, N.H., will spend the fall semester in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Rincón will study with the Sustainable Development and Social Change Program organized by the Center for Global Education at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. At UNC, Rincón’s work will fall under the APPLES Service Learning Program.
• Raphael Ruiz, a junior anthropology and international studies major from Marion, who will participate this summer in the South American Archaeology Field School program in Moche Valley, Peru.

Joe Henry Jenkins and Jenny C. Jenkins Study Abroad and International Experience Fund

This fund was established in 2004 to honor members of the Jenkins family, longtime residents of Dare County and eastern North Carolina. Awards from the fund will support study-abroad or international experiences for undergraduates from eastern North Carolina. Recipients are:

• Meredith Binkley, a sophomore biology major from Kill Devil Hills, who will spend the fall semester in Paris as part of the North Carolina Semester in Paris program.
• Lauren Pierce, a junior psychology major from Ahoskie, who will study during the fall semester at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence, Italy.
• Katie Sisler, a junior political science major from Ahoskie, who will spend the fall semester in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as an exchange student at the University of Ulster.

Charles Garland Johnson Sr. Scholarships

Mary Anne Johnson Dickson ’63 and Neal Johnson ’76 of Charlotte established the fund supporting these awards in 2002 to honor their late father, a banker and community leader in Elkin. The fund offers need- and merit-based study abroad scholarships to undergraduates from Surry, Wilkes and Yadkin counties. Recipients are:

• Blythe Gough, a sophomore international studies major from Pinnacle, who will participate this summer in the International Partnership for Service Learning/UNC APPLES Service-Learning program at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, in Guadalajara, Mexico.
• Mary Anderson, a sophomore from Pilot Mountain, who will take part in the UNC summer program in Paris.
• Brenna Johnston, a sophomore psychology major from Wilkesboro, who will study this summer at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence, Italy.
• Evan Sloop, a junior Spanish and international studies major from Wilkesboro, who will spend the fall semester in Quito, Ecuador, at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito.

Horace J. Shumate Memorial Scholarship

Carol Shumate of Chapel Hill established the fund supporting this award in 2001 in honor of her late father, who worked in the foreign operations division of Loffland Brothers Drilling Co. for 24 years. A contract negotiator, Horace Shumate traveled to remote locations around the world.

The fund provides at least one scholarship annually for study abroad or participation in foreign exchange programs. In celebration of Horace Shumate’s career, the fund targets students who wish to pursue new academic or personal interests through international experiences. The recipient is:

• Uriah Ferruccio, a junior political science and Asian studies major from Norlina. Ferruccio will study during the fall semester at the National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Students interested in study-abroad programs and scholarships should contact the Study Abroad Office via its Web site or at (919) 962-7002.

---