2010 FAWCO Foundation Education Awards Recipients

The FAWCO Foundation announced the recipients of the 2010 Education Awards at the FAWCO Conference in Boston. FAWCO clubs nominated many bright individuals, of which 7 were chosen. Listed below are the recipients of The 2010 FAWCO Foundation Education Awards.

	ARTS AWARD - $5000 This award is for study in the performing (dance, voice, instrumental, etc.) and visual (painting, sculpture, etc.) arts. Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible.   Claire Mannle, her mother is a member of AWC Finland Claire Marie Mannle says she knew she had to be a performer when she was twelve years old.  She writes: “A spark caught fire within me that I have been fanning the flames of ever since. After that, I was insatiable”.  Claire wants to continue her professional development at the Dell’Arte International School for Physical Theatre, create a holiday show that will tour to 7000 people and develop a clown mission to Uganda through Clowns Without Borders.  Her mother is a member of the AWC Finland.
	SCIENCES AWARD  sponsored in part by AIWC Genoa in memory of Frieda Bacigalupo Natali -  $5000 This award is for the study of scientific subjects (i.e. biology, chemistry, etc.), mathematics, medicine, engineering, environmental studies, computer science, etc. Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible. Brett Kirchner, his mother is a member of AW Surrey Brett Kirchner spent his junior year of high school travelling back and forth from school in England to visit his brother undergoing leukemia treatment at the Duke University Medical Center. He has always been interested in Engineering and says that having lived and travelled internationally for much of his life and seeing firsthand the effects of poverty, he sees how Engineering can positively impact the lives of others.  He has been accepted at Duke University, and hopes to use what he learns there to create medical equipment of his own design. His mother is a member of the AW Surrey.
	HUMANITIES AWARD sponsored in part by AAWE in memory of Gertrude de Gallaix -  $5000 This award is for the study of teaching, law, social studies, history, languages, etc. Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible. Both graduate and undergraduate students are eligible.   Emily Bowman, her mother is a member of American Women's Auxiliary to the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne Emily Bowman says that practicing civic mindedness has been a significant part of her growing up. At age 8, concerned about air pollution, she convinced the Houston, TX mayor to instigate a tree planting program. She contacted Condoleeza Rice about her concerns in Darfur, saves coins to donate at Christmas, volunteers at the Special Olympics, at Hospice, for the Race for the Cure and the list goes on. She wants to pursue a B.A. in International Studies and Education so she can climb to a position where she can cause a great good of her own in the world. Her mother is a member of the American Women’s Auxiliary to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia.
	AWC Basel FAWCO MEMBERS AWARD for UNIVERSITY DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMS sponsored by Shirley Kearney - $5000 This award, open to all FAWCO club members, is for continuing or resuming her education in an undergraduate or graduate level university program. The candidate may study in any country.  Michelle Jackson, she is a member of AWC of The Taunus Michelle Jackson says she lives a truly multi-cultural life and has always been fascinated and shaped by people of different nationalities and backgrounds. She wants to expand her knowledge of world affairs by obtaining the Open University’s BA (Hons) in International Studies and then work with FAWCO in its UN activities. Michelle is a member of the AWC of the Taunus.
	FAWCO MEMBERS SKILLS ENHANCEMENT AWARD - $3000 We recognize the diverse lives of our members, their achievements and their never-ending quest for knowledge and self improvement. This award, open to all FAWCO Club members, is for acquiring new skills or enhancing already existing ones. The candidate may study in any country. Sheridan Becker, she is a member of AWC Brussels Sheridan Becker is a struggling single parent in a world where it is a “struggle” to keep up in the rapidly changing media landscape with a traditional and old-fashioned journalistic background. Sheridan hopes to attend the Knight Digital Media Center at UC Berkeley in a program created for those who may become extinct in the journalism world.  She is a member of the AWC Brussels.
	SPECIAL CHALLENGES FUND sponsored in part by Chilterns AWC - $3000 This fund is for the parent of a student between the ages of 5 and 15 years of age with a special challenge such as physical handicap, hearing impairment, visual impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, or with a specific learning disability. The Fund is for specialized training or tutoring at a recognized private or public school, or other specialized institution, for a therapy program carried out by licensed professionals, or for special equipment or devices needed to facilitate the student’s educational progress. The training or tutoring may be carried out in any country. Kelsey O’Brien, her mother is a member of the AWC Brussels Kelsey O’Brien was abandoned at birth in China.  Today, her adoptive parents describe her as fun loving and vivacious, part tom-boy, part princess but she is severely challenged by language difficulties.  With the FAWCO Foundation Special Challenges Fund, her parents hope she can continue with speech and language therapy classes and undergo various auditory and language testing. Kelsey’s mother is a member of the AWC Brussels.
	DUAL CULTURAL AWARD in memory of Suzanne Erismann sponsored in part by Donna Erismann and AWC Bern - $3000 This award enables bi-cultural high school children or grandchildren of FAWCO Members to become better acquainted with their American culture and education. This award may be used to attend a semester of American high school or an academic or structured educational summer program in the United States. The recipient must be between 13 and 18 years old at the time of application and have lived outside the United States for at least the last 6 years. His or her parents will be responsible for all arrangements regarding study and housing in the United States. The candidate must be the child of one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. citizen parent. Maxime Penaud, his mother is a member of AAWE Paris Maxime Penaud talks about his utterly French culture: his grandmother cooking a whole pig for the family, making sausage, ham and paté and writing a book about it, his father telling typical French tales. He claims a profound attachment to the US though he has only been once. He hopes to attend a pre-college summer program at the University of  Pennsylvania or Yale in order to obtain 2 college credits.  Maxime’s grandmother is a member of the AAWE Paris.