Stefanie Canright Scholarship Fund

Emory University students have a growing number of opportunities to study abroad on traditional study abroad programs that typically involve study at a university in another country for a semester or year or study with an Emory faculty member during a summer study abroad program. These traditional study abroad programs provide students with excellent opportunities to learn about other countries and cultures in a formal and organized study context.

However, more and more students are also interested in individually tailored, and frequently shorter-term, service projects overseas.

The Stefanie Canright Scholarship Fund will provide an exceptional Emory student with the opportunity to spend a significant period of time in another country for the purpose of engaging in meaningful, need-responding and well-prepared community service through the UPGRADE program. The project should present reasonable challenges, involve reasonable practical preparation through prior focused, progressively challenging and continued service either in the Atlanta community or in their home community. Students must be able to articulate how the beginning and the continuation of their service will naturally lead to a planned future service project/engagement.

Project Description
The project is for a minimum of 8 weeks. It will preferably take place in the summer; in exceptional cases, it might take place over the entire semester. Students should aim at acquiring sound background knowledge about the community they will be serving in and the circumstances surrounding that project: origin, mission, donors, concrete needs, etc. The student should have plans on how to bring her/his experience back to the campus and to other persons/institutions of interest. This could include founding her/his own NGO in the US. The student should also develop a systematic report of the outcome of the project in the semester after the student returns to campus. The student agrees to use her/his service time to build up a relationship with the agency and to serve as a liaison between other interested Emory students and the agency immediately upon return but also as an Emory alumnus. In fact: one goal of the student’s service could be ‘translating’ the needs of that organization to other Emory college students and initiating appropriate action.

The scholarship will be made available to a student in any field. The student may not receive the scholarship if s/he has a scholarship/grant for the same project from another organization. The best UPGRADE recipient automatically becomes the Stefanie Canright Scholarship recipient.

The scholarship is meant to cover costs for student travel and the community service activity. Costs for the public service activity may include program fees to a third party service placement agency, and costs for housing, meals, transportation or materials which are in direct connection to the services rendered by the student. The money may not be used just to financially support the service organization where the student is placed. Students will receive up to $4,500 for a project with the exact amount of funding dependent on the length of stay and the actual costs associated with traveling to and living in the host country. 

Pre-Departure Requirement
The scholarship recipient is required to attend all program activities, including regular meetings that are designed for the UPGRADE grant recipients.

Post-Return Requirement
The student receiving this scholarship will present the community service experience. This includes opportunities to present to their peers through a symposium.

The student will find a way to creatively and meaningfully describe the service accomplished. This presentation is designed as appreciation to the Canright Family and Robert Kostow (along with a personal letter & photographs of the experience) but can also be shared with the appropriate faculty member(s) and posted on the CIPA Website.

Eligibility and Application Process
Students are required to complete the UPGRADE application process. In addition to a proven record of long-standing community service and university involvement, ideal candidates will exemplify a combination of leadership, service and scholarly excellence.  

The Stefanie Canright Scholarship is administered by the Center for International Programs Abroad (CIPA) of Emory College.