Study abroad scholarships are crucial for enabling access to international education, fostering cultural exchange, promoting global understanding, and empowering students to pursue enriching experiences beyond their home countries.

With support from the Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization, the Global Access Ambassador Scholarship program provides up to 10, $1,000 Global Access Ambassador Scholarships for the spring and fall semesters or academic year, and up to 10 scholarships for the summer and winter sessions.

The scholarship is intended to support students who study abroad with the intent to serve as Global Access Ambassadors upon their return to the UI campus, with special consideration given to students with a history of overcoming adversity to pursue personal, academic, or professional goals.

Annalie Ruehle, a second-year biochemistry and molecular biology major with a Korean studies minor from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is studying this spring on the TEAN South Korea: Korea University program.

“I am very excited to meet new people and explore South Korea with the new friends I make. I am also excited to visit the palaces and villages. I picked my program because I wanted to go to South Korea and there were only three options, so it was narrowed down pretty quickly. I also took into consideration that this will be my first solo trip abroad and I might need more support in a country where English isn't the primary language, and my program will provide more support while abroad than the other program options. I also picked Korea University because I heard that they are known for business, and I wanted to take some business classes while abroad. I chose Korea because I want to improve my Korean skills, and I have been fascinated with Korea's pop culture and want to experience it firsthand. Studying abroad is important to me because I like to explore, and going abroad is a great adventure. It also allows me to experience other cultures and bring them back with me to share with others.”