Overview
The Leona Zaharis Scholarship, established in 2022, will provide financial awards for student who will study abroad. Students who are eligible to apply will be first-generation college students AND have federal eligibility for financial aid.
The number of scholarships available and amounts will vary based on semester/session:
- up to two (2) $1,000 (summer/winter)
- up to two (2) $2,000 (fall/spring)
- up to two (2) $3,000 (academic year)
This scholarship is not renewable.
Award Criteria
- First generation college student - parent(s) did not attend college AND have federal eligibility for financial aid
- Undergraduate, enrolled as a full-time degree-seeking student at the University of Iowa (UI)
- Good academic standing
- Registration in academic credit-earning approved Study Abroad course (ABRD) prior to the release of the award
Application
Fill out scholarship application
Deadline - Portal opens after September 2, 2025
Winter: October 1
Spring: October 15
Summer: March 1
Fall: March 15
About the Leona Zaharis Scholarship
The passion for exploring instilled in her by her mother Leona Zaharis, who passed away in 2022, led Cathy Zaharis to start a scholarship fund in her mother’s honor. The Leona Zaharis Scholarship Fund is being established to support students who, like Leona Zaharis, are curious about the world and want to study abroad.
“My mother was a woman of the world; an Iowan, yes, but a woman of the world. She never got to go to college and after high school, was offered a job as a teller at a local bank. My grandfather wanted my mom to take the job, but my grandmother told my mom to go see the world and explore it. When I think about the outcome of my mother’s life, she loved the state of Iowa and wanted to live here, but she chose to see it all and explore the world too.”
- Cathy Zaharis
Leona Zaharis Scholarship News
Nine UI students awarded Leona Zaharis Scholarship to study abroad
Five UI students awarded Leona Zaharis Scholarship to study abroad
