by Margie O’Rourke, AIWC Dublin and Talia Southgate, AIWC Frankfurt

John Dewey once said, "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."
Education equals possibility. It is an enlightening experience that opens doors, builds
confidence and sometimes, even changes the direction of a person’s life. The FAWCO
Foundation, which is the philanthropic branch of FAWCO, recognizes the power of
education. As a result, they created the Education Awards Program, one of FAWCO’s
most meaningful extended projects.

The Education Awards are created by and awarded to FAWCO and FAUSA members,
as well as children and grandchildren of members. In order to engage a broader
audience, the Awards cover a wide range of interests including, but not limited to, arts,
science, humanities, STEM, etc. The purpose of these awards is to promote
international understanding and goodwill by offering monetary incentives to support
study at the high school, undergraduate, and even graduate levels in both the United
States and abroad.

The FAWCO Education Awards Program began in 1972, and since then, 386 awards
have been granted. Behind every one of those awards is a person, a dream and a story.
Margie O’Rourke and Talia Southgate, two FAWCO Education Team members, will be
embarking on a journey to “visit” these individuals who dared to dream. In the series, we
will be interviewing past educational award recipients to share what receiving the award
has meant to them and to discover what doors have opened and what direction their life
has taken since.

After all, education is not only about classrooms and textbooks, it is also often about
encouragement, opportunity and recognition of potential.

Join us on this journey which will begin in September.