Overview

With support from the Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization, the Global Access Ambassador Scholarship program provides awards to study abroad for a summer, winter, semester, or academic year program. The scholarships are intended to support students who study abroad with the intent to serve as Global Access Ambassadors upon return to the UI campus.

As a Global Access Ambassador, you will be asked to submit a photo and an open letter to prospective students or suggest an alternate means of sharing with prospective students upon return. By writing insightful letters and sharing pictures about your new surroundings, cross-cultural observations and personal growth, your words can inspire other students to go abroad and challenge them to rethink how study abroad experiences can be for everyone. You will also be invited to share your experiences abroad with prospective students on campus through outreach events.

Global Access Ambassador awards are intended to facilitate reflection on identity as it is shaped by culture, challenges overcome, or lessons learned. As a Global Access Ambassador, you are encouraged to think about key aspects of your personal identity that are important to you and how those aspects of self are perceived or experienced differently in a new cultural context abroad.

Up to ten (10) - $1,000 Global Access Ambassador Scholarships for Study Abroad programs will be awarded for each of the spring, fall semesters, academic year, summer, winter sessions. This scholarship is not renewable.

Eligibility Requirements

  • undergraduate, full-time, degree-seeking UI student in good academic and disciplinary standing
  • plan to participate in an approved study abroad program during the academic semester/summer or winter session 

Additional Considerations

  • Students with a history of overcoming adversity pursuing personal, academic, or professional goals

Applicants may apply for need and/or other financial awards concurrently; review other award categories on our web page to determine your eligibility for other opportunities.

Global Access Ambassador Scholarship recipients are not eligible to receive the scholarship in subsequent sessions to allow the greatest number of students to receive this award.

Application Procedure

To apply for a Global Access Ambassador Scholarship, download, complete, and return the application (via email) for review by the Study Abroad scholarship committee.

Global Access Ambassador Application

Submission Deadline

Summer 2024: Friday, March 1

Fall 2024: Friday, March 8

For more information about UI's efforts to create a welcoming climate for students from communities underrepresented in higher education, visit the Diversity at Iowa website.

About the Stanley-UI Foundation Support Organization

Max and Betty Stanley

C. Maxwell (Max) and Elizabeth (Betty) M. Stanley were exemplary visionary leaders in philanthropic and educational endeavors. They strove to promote public understanding, constructive dialogue, and cooperative action on critical international issues and worked to recognize the essential roles of both the policy community and the broader public in building sustainable peace.

Alumni of The University of Iowa and longtime active volunteers and generous supporters of the institution, the Stanley's created The Stanley-University of Iowa Foundation Support Organization in 1979. which provides funding for projects across The University of Iowa. 

Meet some of our Global Access Ambassadors

Jaki Banner

My journey of self-discovery through London and Wales: a business student's reflection on studying abroad

Thursday, April 18, 2024
"London welcomed me with open arms, offering me a glimpse into the rich tapestry of European culture."
Safeya Banner

Celebrating diversity and empowerment: A Black Muslim woman's journey in London

Monday, April 15, 2024
"My identity as a Black Muslim woman influenced my study abroad experience in a profound way. I was drawn to the large Black Muslim population in London and made it a goal to connect with others who shared similar experiences and backgrounds."
Sarah Onysio

Exploring water quality and education in rural India: an environmental engineering student’s experience

Monday, April 8, 2024
Sarah Onysio, an environmental engineering major and Global Access Ambassador, participated in the India Winterim Program in winter 23-24.
Halle Eisfelder Banner

Clean water leads to education: Understanding water scarcity in rural India

Thursday, April 4, 2024
"It was difficult to hear how limited education is for women living in India, but inspiring to see how change is occurring to raise the numbers of girls in school. It has inspired me to be a part of the next generation of environmental engineers to design systems to give clean water access to individuals all around the world."
Naina Miranda Banner

Journey to my roots: Rediscovering India and embracing identity

Friday, March 29, 2024
Not only was the India Winterim Program the perfect opportunity for me to reconnect with...experiences I had as a child, but it also enabled me to see India in a way that I truly never would have on my own."
Evren Sasmazer

Sacred Karelia: My Eastern Orthodox identity and studying abroad in Finland

Friday, March 22, 2024
"As a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church...and as a religious studies major, Eastern Christianity has been the centerpiece of my personal and academic life for a long time. The prospect of living in a heavily Orthodox region of the country and studying Orthodox history and thought was incredibly exciting to me."