District 5870 Rotary - Ambassadorial Scholar

District 5870 actively participates in the oldest program offered by the Rotary 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 38,000 scholars since the program began. The Rotary Foundation sends hundreds of scholars annually to colleges and universities around the world.

Each club in District 5870 is eligible to participate in this exceptional program. To learn more about the Ambassadorial Scholarship program, click here. Applicants and Rotarians can download the application and more information about the program.

All Rotary Clubs participating in this program must conduct an interview with all applicants (or applicant) and submit an endorsed application to Lynne Lightsey, District 5870 Ambassadorial Scholarship Sub-Committee Chairman, by July 1, 2010. The district sub-committee will interview all applicants in mid to late August, and the Rotary Foundation notifies recipients about December 1 of their selection for a 2011-12 scholarship. See the District Directory for Lynne’s address.

Scholarship recipients must attend an out-bound seminar conducted the first weekend in January following their notification of acceptance from the Rotary Foundation. This seminar, Ambassadorial Scholar Elect Training (ASETS) http://www.rotaryasets.org/ is a requirement, and the scholar’s local Rotary Club sponsor should attend this session, too.

The cost of this scholarship is paid from generous foundation giving from Rotarians of this district. The $26,000 stipend is part of the funds returned to this district each year from foundation donations contributed three years earlier. There is no cost to individual clubs to send a scholar abroad although sponsoring clubs are encouraged to pay the modest fee for scholars to attend ASETS.

During 2010-11, District 5870 will be sending three scholars, Jessica Lopez, Wayne Joseph and Robert Kent, 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. Large 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.

Learn all about this exceptional opportunity and recruit, encourage and assist a worthy scholar in applying.