Ambassadorial Scholar

A Message from our Ambassadorial Scholar: Jeannie Elliot:

Hello all!

Just wanted to update you that I'm still in Austin. I returned safe and sound from a service project in Ghana this summer with a group of low-income public high school students that I took on with two other Ambassadorial Scholars from Texas. I very much enjoyed giving a Rotary presentation about this trip a few weeks ago.

I am still working on my website that will be set up specifically for Rotarians and to promote future ambassadorial scholar applicants to learn more about the opportunity. It is still VERY, VERY rough. For example, my club in South Africa was changed last week and I have not been informed of my new club, so you will notice on the rough draft of the website that I have a page about the Waterfront Club in South Africa which is no longer my club there. Before I leave in January all of this will be finalized. I hope everyone is well and had a fantastic summer!

My website will be: http://jeannie.elliott.googlepages.com/

My blog will be: http://txtoza.blogspot.com/

Sincerely,
Jeannie Elliott

Ambassadorial Scholars from 2003-2004--Alysson Ford. 

The RC of Georgetown sponsored her nomination in summer of 2002  She is a wonderful person who is representing her family, Georgetown, her self, and Rotary very very well. 

Short note: She learned about Rotary in 2001 when she was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Corte de' Voire (sp?). Some Rotarians came into the village where she was serving in order to vaccinate the children against Polio. At that point she did not know about Rotary. She went to her computer internet to learn more about Rotary and in so doing learned about the Ambassadorial Scholar program. Since her parents live in Georgetown, she called me to inquire about being a candidate, and the rest is history.

PDG Gene Davenport

The BRIGHT Program,   January 2007 Update

Since March 2006, the BRIGHT program has been working to improve girls' education rates in the West African country of Burkina Faso.  Like most countries in the region, interest in girls' education has traditionally been low, and consequently, just 43% of girls in the country attend primary school.  Of those who begin school, fewer than 3 in 10 complete the full six-year cycle and graduate from primary school.   To address this problem, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the government of Burkina Faso agreed to a two-year, $12.9 million threshold program to improve girls' education in the country.  Two international organizations and two national organizations - Plan International, Catholic Relief Services, the Forum for African Women Educationalists, and Association Tin Tua - are implementing this program, called the Burkinabé Response to Improve Girls' Chances to Succeed (BRIGHT).

Of the 132 school complexes to be built by the program, construction has begun in 123 sites, and three schools are already finished.  Boreholes, to provide drinking water, have already been drilled in all of the sites in which construction has begun.  The remaining schools are expected to be completed by February 2007. 

Thirty-three of the 132 communities are receiving a community awareness raising campaign to convince parents of the importance of girls' education, the results of which will be evaluated at the end of the first year for possible extension to all 132 communities during the second year.  In these 33 villages, over 5500 community members participated in initial information meetings, about 2000 people attended discussion-debates on the importance of girls' education, and 418 community members were trained to conduct a door-to-door campaign, which ended in December.  Radio programs have been recorded and transmitted in the provinces covered by the campaign, and will continue through March. 

BRIGHT teachers and supervisors were trained in November on gender awareness in order to ensure a more girl-friendly environment in the schools; in total, 160 teachers and 86 supervisors were trained.  Free school supplies have been distributed to over 90% (123) of schools, with the remaining schools to receive supplies in January.  Additional activities, such as adult literacy courses for women, mentoring for BRIGHT students, training for Ministry staff, and motivational prizes for the best performing female teachers will take place later in the school year.  School lunches and take home rations will begin once construction has been completed.

Although the program officially began in March 2006, the government opened 70 of the schools in temporary mud and thatch structures during the 2004-2005 school year.  On average, each school enrolled 71 students for first-grade, exceeding the expected 50 students by 42%.  In total, 4959 children, including 2539 girls (51%), attended the 70 BRIGHT schools in 2004-2005.  By the 2007-2008 school year - the last year of the program - it is expected that the 132 schools will benefit approximately 20,000 students, including 10,000 girls.
 

A temporary shelter constructed by the community using woven grass serves as a classroom but will not survive strong winds in rainy season.

 
Eight girls squeezed onto a desk designed for only two students in a community constructed grass shelter

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Photos from ASET held in Austin on January 5-6, 2007

                          Lauren Elizabeth Denny and Jean Ann Elliott are our Scholars

District 5870's Ambassadorial Scholarship Program

District 5870 actively participates annually in the oldest program offered by the RI Foundation, the Ambassadorial Scholarship.  Begun in 1947, the scholarship program ranks among the most prestigious ones in the world, including the Woodrow Wilson, Rhodes, and Marshall.  The one-year stipend, $26,000, is clearly a leader among elite scholarship programs.  Rotarians are justifiably proud of this wonderful opportunity offered to over 37,000 scholars since 1947.  RI sends hundreds of scholars annually to colleges and universities around the world.

The cost of this scholarship is paid from generous foundation giving from Rotarians of this district.  There is no cost to individual clubs to send a scholar.  The $26,000 stipend is part of the funds returned to this district each year from foundation donations contributed three years earlier.

During 2007-08, District 5870 will be sending two scholars, Lauren Elizabeth Denny and Jean Ann Elliott, as Ambassadorial Scholarship recipients to study abroad for a year.  Sometimes we have scholars from this district studying in London, Edinburgh, Madrid, Paris, or other distant locations.  Mega clubs and our smallest ones are on an equal footing in sponsoring applicants.  In fact, several recent recipients have come from clubs of modest size.

Each club in District 5870 is eligible to participate in this exceptional program.  To learn more about the Ambassadorial Scholarship program, visit RI’s website (www.rotary.org), click on RI Foundation, click on Educational Programs, and then click on Ambassadorial Scholarship.  Applicants can download the application from this website.

All clubs participating in this program must conduct an interview with all applicants (or applicant) and submit this endorsed application to David Yeilding, District 5870 Ambassadorial Scholarship Sub-Committee Chairman, by July 1, 2007.  The district sub-committee will interview all applicants in late August, and the RI Foundation notifies recipients about December 1^st of their selection for a 2008-09 scholarship.  See the District Directory for David’s address.

Scholarship recipients MUST attend an out-bound seminar conducted the first weekend in January following their notification of acceptance from the RI Foundation.  This seminar, ASETS, is a requirement, and the scholar’s local chapter sponsor should attend this session too.

Read all about this exceptional opportunity by visiting Rotary’s website and assisting a worthy scholar to access it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tatsuya “Tats” Ishihara received funding to cover round-trip transportation, tuition and fees, room, board, and necessary educational supplies for one academic year, up to a maximum amount of US $26,000.

Tats is one of more than 800 students worldwide to receive a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship this year.  Designed to promote international understanding and goodwill, the scholarships give students the opportunity to study in one of the more than 150 countries where Rotary clubs are located.  While abroad, Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars speak to Rotary clubs and districts, schools, civic organizations, and other forms where they act as “ambassadors of goodwill.”

The Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships program is the world’s largest privately-sponsored international scholarship program.  Focused on humanitarian service, personal diplomacy, and academic excellence, the program has sponsored more than 37,000 Rotary Scholars abroad since it began in 1947.
 

Invite Tats to speak at your club.  Contact him at i.tatsuya@gmail.com.

¨ Awarded Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship; selected as only MBA scholar from 300 candidates in Yokohama district.  Will study at McComb Graduate School of Business at University of Texas.

¨ Advanced-level IT network expert, qualified as a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), 1/04

¨ Dedicated baseball player.  Served as captain on all teams from elementary school through university.

¨ Founder and organizer of Jonan High School Baseball Club Alumni Organization.  Increased members from 40 to 120.  Hold annual networking event for alumni, PTA and current students.  2001 - Present ¨ Lifelong enthusiastic runner.  Compete in local amateur races (including Honolulu Marathon 2003) 

2002 - Present ¨ Volunteer Spectator Services Host, Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

message from last year’s Ambassadorial Scholar who is now in St. Andrews.

Dear Mr. Williams and Mr. Coleman,

I hope that all is well in Pflugerville; I'm doing extremely well here in Scotland. My Host Rotarian is absolutely wonderful, and she took me to her club last night to be introduced and meet all the Rotarians.  I was struck at the similarities that I found.  It was a group of extremely friendly and warm people who had a good time together and at the same time did quite a bit to help those in the community.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; that is what Rotary is largely about, no doubt.  There were some differences, however.  The weather here permitted them a bit more of a formal attire--it is not over 100 here after all--so they wore mostly sport coats, with some ties.  Also, the meeting was at night, rather than at lunch, though there is a lunch club which I'm sure I will meet soon.

That is about all I have to report for now; I presented them with a Pflugerville Club banner, and they were happy to receive it.  I'll be sure to procure a banner from them to send home at the earliest convenience.

Thanks again,
Michael Sands