WEB NEWS RELEASE
PGCIA Scholarship winners (beginning 2nd from left), Brittanie Bell-Handy, Reuben Amlalo, Oanh Nguyen,
Teonna Lonon, and Janine Hernandez-Diaz with PGCIA Director Bai Akridge, Ph.D. (left) and Professor Barbara Finkelstein, ICTE Director (right).
COLLEGE PARK, MD (January 2010) - Five outstanding University of Maryland students who graduated from Prince George's County public high schools were granted the once in a lifetime opportunity to expand their horizons to a different continent this semester thanks to their recent award of Prince George's County International Ambassador (PGCIA) Study Abroad Scholarships.
This is the third cohort of students to participate in the PGCIA Study Abroad program, which is now in its second year. A fourth cohort of ambassadors will be selected this spring to study abroad during the summer.
The PGCIA program is administered by the Global Diversity Leadership Institute (GDLI) within the International Center for Transcultural Education at Maryland's College of Education. During its pilot year in 2008-09, the Office of the County Executive (OCE) of Prince George's County provided full funding enabling eight students to study internationally. This year the OCE was joined by UM's Office of the Provost in supporting up to 11 ambassadors with scholarships valued at $1000 to $1500.
"In these especially tough financial times for local and state governments, I am greatly encouraged by the continued support of the Office of the County Executive and the new support by the Provost's Office," said P. Bai Akridge, Ph.D., GDLI director and a member of the PGCIA Scholarship Selection Committee. "It is increasingly difficult to find financial support for programs like this one, so we are actively seeking funding to continue and expand this important program."
The scholarships are part of a joint effort by OCE and GDLI to expand global literacy among Prince George's County students who are underrepresented (i.e., students of color and those with high financial needs) in college study abroad programs.
"Too many in our African-American, Hispanic-American, and Native-American communities, and those with financial needs see study abroad as an unaffordable luxury, and with programs like this one study abroad can be affordable," said Akridge. "The truth is that in the 21st Century global exposure is a necessity. If our students are to serve as tomorrow's leaders, they must gain exposure to the world today."
Students from the first two cohorts completed study trips to South Africa, El Salvador, France, Chile, Jamaica and Spain. The current scholarship winners are traveling to the following countries:
Name
UM Majors
Destination
High School Attended
Brittanie Bell-Handy (Sophomore)
Gov't & Politics
Shanghai, China
Douglass
Reuben Amlalo (Sophomore)
Economics
Haifa, Israel
Laurel
Janine Hernandez-Diaz (Junior)
Sociology
Egypt
Bowie
Teonna Lonon (Junior)
Acct'g/Finance
Thail/Vietnam
Flowers
Oanh Nguyen (Junior)
Int'l Business
France
Roosevelt
As a part of their award, the student ambassadors have a community service obligation to share their experiences through outreach activities in public schools, service as mentors to college-bound high-school students, and/or as volunteers in internationally-oriented organizations in Prince George's County.
According to Ola Hill, director of Community Affairs for Prince George's County Executive and a member of the PGCIA Scholarship Selection Committee, "The vested interest the County is making in our youth today will certainly provide future educational dividends, such as more young, internationally-oriented role models serving our schools and community."
To learn more about the PGCIA Study Abroad Scholarship program, contact GDLI Director P. Bai Akridge, Ph.D., at 301.442.6732 (Phone); 301.336.1020 (Fax), or email pbai@umd.edu. Further information is also available on Maryland's International Programs Study Abroad website: www.international.umd.edu/studyabroad/6190
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For more information on the College of Education, visit: www.education.umd.edu
or contact
Halima Cherif, Assistant Director for Communications, at: hcherif@umd.edu
