By: Tiffany Harrison, STA Travel Communications Manager
At STA Travel, we believe in making international travel more accessible to student and youth travelers. It’s a core value of our business, which is why we were thrilled to once again team up with the Foundation for Global Scholars (FGS) to help make students’ travel dreams a reality. It is with this in mind that we are beyond pleased to congratulate Kathryn Lyle, a student at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, on being the August 2015 recipient of the STA Travel Start the Adventure Scholarship.
The Start the Adventure Scholarship was born out of a desire by STA Travel to recognize both student and institution. Thus, $2500 is awarded to a deserving student and a matching donation of $2500 is made to the institution to award to a student of their choice for study abroad. In this particular cycle of the scholarship, STA Travel is also thrilled to congratulate Hobart and William Smith Colleges on being the recognized institution to receive funds to award to an additional study abroad student.
In speaking with Kathryn about her international education goals and learning more about her studies, we were immediately struck by her passion for her upcoming travels to India and what it would mean for her to be able to dive into such rigorous fieldwork. In Kathryn’s own words:
“I will be conducting my independent research on experiences of childbirth and maternal care for Indian women. The project is anthropologically based; therefore, I will focus on documenting women’s voices as to how they experienced childbirth and pregnancy. Much of my summer has been dedicated to research on feminist perspectives of childbirth through a sociological lens in preparation for my semester abroad. I plan on drawing out intersections of economic class, household politics, current political climate regarding reproductive rights, and religion with women’s experiences of childbearing and maternal decision-making…As a women’s studies major this project will allow me to receive credit within the department and firsthand experience in exploring feminism and female reproductive agency within a drastically different culture.”
In addition to this being an incredible amount of work and study, Kathryn’s excitement at calling home to and exploring an untraditional study abroad location resonated with all of us at STA Travel. Our team is made up of a global community of travelers inspired by those who also seek out adventure and education, and we couldn’t be more pleased to assist Kathryn in making her travel plans a reality. As we say at STA Travel, “Love Your Life. Start Over. Start Now. Start the Adventure.”
From all of us at STA Travel, best wishes to Kathryn on her upcoming adventure and congratulations to all the FGS Scholars!
Applications for the STA Travel Start the Adventure Scholarship will open once again on October 12, 2015, for students who will begin their study abroad programs the first half of 2016. See here for more information.
Tiffany Harrison
Tiffany is responsible for all internal and external communications for STA Travel US. She is involved with communities like the NAFSA Rainbow SIG and Tech SIG, and presents often on brand management and social media, online marketing, and methods for translating the student experience.