wfn.org | International Students Awarded Lutheran College Scholarships

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ELCA NEWS SERVICE

August 30, 2004

International Students Awarded Lutheran College Scholarships
04-158-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
has awarded scholarships of $1,500 each to 16 international students
attending ELCA colleges and universities.  The scholarships, from the
Phoebe Herman Scholarship Endowment Fund, were awarded through the ELCA
Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES).
     Phoebe Herman was an active Lutheran who lived in Selinsgrove, Pa.
Upon her death she left most of her estate to the ELCA Foundation. She
specified that one third of the proceeds were to be used for scholarships
for "worthy and needy" students of any Lutheran college in the United
States, said Arne Selbyg, director for colleges and universities, DHES.
The ELCA Foundation maintains the fund.
     Students who do not qualify for regular state or federal financial
aid were given highest priority for the scholarships, Selbyg said.  In
this case, international students who would not be able to attend ELCA
colleges and universities without the scholarships were selected, he said.
     "Every year it is heartwarming to see how the Lutheran colleges
provide their academic opportunities to many students who have no means of
paying for this excellent education themselves," Selbyg said. "It is also
stimulating to see the ELCA colleges and universities reach out to
students from all over the world, providing these international students
the opportunity to benefit from our strong colleges."
     "At the same time, the colleges give students from North America
opportunities to broaden their horizons and place themselves and our
country in a global context," he continued.  "It is very important that
these partnerships continue."
     The establishment of the Phoebe Herman Fund is one example of how
Lutherans can leave a gift that will have long-lasting meaning for future
generations, said the Rev. Donald M. Hallberg, executive director, ELCA
Foundation.  Members can support students at one of the ELCA's 28 colleges
and universities by a gift of cash or a deferred gift, adding to the
Phoebe Herman permanent scholarship endowment, he said.  Named
scholarships can be initiated with a minimum gift of $25,000, Hallberg
added.
     The 2004 recipients are:
+ Yury Bahdanionak, Belarus, attending Augsburg College, Minneapolis
+ Carol Chinomnso Uluocha, Nigeria, Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill.
+ Idris Liasu, Nigeria, Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas
+ Nyaradzo Suangweme, Zimbabwe, Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn.
+ Andres Subiabre, Chile, Dana College, Blair, Nebraska
+ Rami Ali, Lebanon, Grand View College, Des Moines, Iowa
+ Manal Elattir, Morocco, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minn.
+ Cassie Benoit, The Bahamas, Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C.
+ Yee Seir Kee, Malaysia, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa
+ Toni Jericevic, Croatia, Midland Lutheran College, Fremont, Neb.
+ Irina Puzdrjakova, Russia, Newberry College, Newberry, South Carolina
+ Mai Nguyen, Vietnam, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, Wash.
+ Alex Mitrenko, Ukraine, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa.
+ Miho Kubota, Japan, Thiel College, Greenville, Pa.
+ Iyoel Megerssa, Ethiopia, Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa
+ Frehiwot Wolde-Michael, Ethiopia, Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa
----
     Information about ELCA colleges and universities can be found at
http://www.elca.org/education on the ELCA Web site.

     Information about the ELCA Foundation, including gift possibilities,
is at http://www.elca.org/fo on the Web, or call 1-800-638-3522, extension
2970.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news