International students comprise around 20% of the student body at John Brown University, according to the university’s website. Coming from far distances stretching across the world, many of these students struggle to find the finances to afford traveling home during the three-week span between the fall and spring semesters.
The Home for the Holidays Scholarship seeks to meet the financial needs of students who face this financial burden. Although international students flying overseas tend to incur more expenses than students traveling within the United States, the scholarship is open to all JBU students. After students apply for the scholarship, Student Government Association (SGA) considers each student’s circumstance before distributing funds.
SGA’s president, Jeremy Hidalgo, explained where the funds come from: “The project started in 2015 with SGA and Student Development donating funds towards [the scholarship], and these two organizations have been constant on what they give. The fundraising strategy to get more funds outside of these two organizations started in 2020.”
A group of SGA students heads up this fundraising initiative. Education and Human Services Division Sen., Nazaria Bol, shared her experience leading the Home for the Holidays initiative this year. Even though this is Bol’s first year on SGA, she took up a leadership position because of her interest in the mission of the initiative. “I know that I’m doing something for other students, and I’m kind of being their voices … helping them to be able to go home,” she said. “And so, that makes me happy because I feel that we need to have empathy in this world, and we need to spread love but also kindness to everyone.”
As of Oct. 15, applications closed, so now Bol and her team are working to raise funds to meet each student’s needs. Bol said that one challenge is “reaching enough people.” She and her team have had to get creative in where and how to fundraise. JBU faculty members are the most common source of donations, but Bol has been trying to reach more possible donors, even outside JBU. “I went to some Latin, local restaurants or businesses,” Bol mentioned. “I gave some letters to them, and I explained about [the initiative].” She continues to spread awareness through social media, letters and flyers.
Regarding a financial goal, both Bol and Hidalgo mentioned that SGA has not set a specific amount yet. Hidalgo said, “Since the fundraising project is pretty new, we would appreciate any amount that the community can give, and it is hard to compare it to last year because it was a great year for donations when considering that COVID season was heart-touching for many people. In the upcoming years, when establishing a more structured and stable campaign, we would love to get $2000+ from the community, besides the $5250 that SGA and Student Development donate every year.”
The generosity of SGA, Student Development and donors does not go unnoticed by students who receive funds to travel home over break. Bol recalled stories she heard from recipients of the scholarship. One student that Bol remembered, in particular, received the full amount requested and told Bol, “It just blessed my life, and it made my Christmas more special.”
If you’re interested in donating to the Home for the Holidays initiative or want to learn more about it, you can contact SGA at sga@jbu.edu.