Travel scholarships help Barrett Honors College students learn throughout the world
Barrett Honors College students riding camels in the Sahara during an honors study abroad program. Photo by Sam McGee,
Jacquie Scott Lynch and John Lynch, both members of the faculty in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University, believe in the transformational power of education through travel, exposure to new cultures and perspectives, and global citizenship.
That’s why they established the Dr. Jacquie Scott and Dr. John Lynch Scholarship that provides students up to $1,000 to offset the cost of participation in Barrett Honors College Summer Study Abroad or Global Intensive Experiences programs.
In their combined 50+ years of service to ASU, they have traveled globally with their daughter and over 500 Barrett students in faculty-directed study abroad programs. With their scholarship they hope to promote study abroad opportunities for honors students.
Theirs is one of several travel scholarships available to Barrett Honors College students. including:
- Barrett Travel Scholarship
- Lynn Silber and Martin Biegelman International Travel Scholarship
- Miner Family Scholarship
- Seward/Farquhar Study Abroad Scholarship
- Smith Family Scholarship
Award amounts for these travel scholarships vary, from up to $1,000 to up to $5,000.
Scholarships are now available for any Barrett student traveling on a Barrett Summer Study Abroad or Barrett Global Intensive Experience. Scholarship information is here and applications are here.
Autumn Thompson, a Barrett Online student, received the Seward/Farquhar Scholarship and spent three weeks in the 2024 Barrett Summer Study Abroad program in France, connecting with honors faculty and fellow students and earning six honors course credits.
“I feel very grateful and happy to receive this scholarship. As an online student I didn’t think that I would ever have the chance to travel abroad, and I would have not been able to attend this trip without the financial help,” said Thompson, a junior biomed major who lives in Colorado and works fulltime.
The program, based in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, had coursework focused on French history, literature, art, culture, politics and involvement in global issues and included trips to Cassis, Marseilles, Arles and Nimes.
In addition to classes, Thompson went on excursions to the Pont du Gard, the Mediterranean Sea, a World War II-era concentration camp, lavender fields and farmers markets.
“This experience has helped me to see a different perspective of my university experience,” Thompson said.
“I never thought I would meet any in-person students or professors. I made so many friends that I am still in touch with, and the professors were really nice and tried to get to know me even though I was only with them for three weeks,” she said.
“One of my personal goals is to travel as much of the world as I can and learn about different cultures and experience new things. This trip helped me dip my toes in that water, and also it gave me a lot of courage about traveling internationally. This trip was once in a lifetime for me, and has really shown me a new perspective on French culture that I would have never gotten otherwise.”
Mikayla Smith, a junior psychology major in Barrett Honors College also received the Seward/Farquhar Scholarship for study abroad in France last summer.
Highlights for Smith included tours of farmers markets and chocolate factories, a baking class, a boat tour through the Calanques in Cassis, visits to the Pont du Gard and salt flats in Arles and Nimes, and a weekend spent in Paris at the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre.
“Without this scholarship I don’t think I would have been able to afford studying abroad. This experience was definitely life changing for me, and so I am thankful for the scholarship,” said Smith, who had never been to France.
“I would love to travel more, and this experience definitely taught me a lot about independence in regard to traveling. Additionally, I think this trip taught me how important it is to step out of your comfort zone because that is how you grow as a person, and hopefully I will continue to do this in the future.”