Grants free up Rotary Scholars to learn and build their networks
By Graham Meyer
When Adrian Faiers got married last year, among the assembled friends and family were Sira Lee and Alizée McLorg, two young women whose scholarships he had coordinated while they pursued master's degrees at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He marvels at the women's far-flung connection. Although one is from Korea and the other from California, they go to weddings, conferences, and Rotary meetings together. "They have become best friends," Faiers says.
Of the 1,300 or so Rotary Foundation global grants approved each year, about 200 are for scholarships. Global grant scholarships fund graduate-level studies in one of Rotary's areas of focus. Rotary districts can also provide scholarships through district grants. Lee and McLorg, whose scholarships are funded by global and district grants, respectively, are taking advantage of one big benefit available to Rotary Scholars: the opportunity to build their networks — with each other, experts in their fields, and the broader Rotary world.
Particularly in places where a large number of global and district grant scholars study — such as London, which is home to the London School of Economics as well as King's and University colleges — the scholars have their own niche within the Rotary sphere. "They become a very, very good community together," says Faiers, a member of the Rotary Club of Dulwich, Peckham and Crystal Palace, who as chair of District 1130's scholarship subcommittee coordinates the incoming scholars in London.
Meet four Rotary Scholars, and find out how the connections they’ve made through Rotary are helping them change the world.
