Penn State Global participates in Giving Tuesday with two funds:
· We are all Penn State Fund (International Student Emergency Fund)
· Penn State Study Abroad Scholarship Fund
This year’s GivingTuesday takes place on Tuesday, November 30, 2020. Early participants can donate between November 15 and November 29.
We Are All Penn State Fund (International Student Emergency Fund): This fund assists international students who may face unexpected hardships as a student. These situations can be especially challenging when they are far from home. This fund was established to provide timely relief to international students who are experiencing unexpected hardships.
Penn State Study Abroad Scholarship Fund: This fund invests in promising Penn State students with financial need who wish to study abroad. The fund offers study abroad students to gain an understanding of different culture to become a global-minded citizen.
Detailed Summary of Impact of both funds
We Are All Penn State Fund (International Student Emergency Fund):
Penn State is home to more than 9,000 international students from all over the world. Our international students contribute to a diverse and inclusive educational experience that benefits our Penn State community in gaining well-rounded global perspectives.
The Office of Global Outreach, Development, and Alumni Relations of Penn State Global wants to ensure that international students, regardless of where they’re from, have the financial support they need during times of crisis and emergency. The We Are All Penn State Fund (International Student Emergency Fund) provides emergency assistance to international students in financial distress.
Your Support Will Make Impact
Times of crisis can happen to anyone at any time. The situations that cause international students to apply for emergency assistance are broad-ranging—from the death of a parent to family health issues to a personal injury or accident to unexpected academic costs—and can put their education at risk. The assistance is crucial to help retain international students who contribute tremendously to Penn State community. The funds raised will be awarded at the discretion of the Penn State Global to international students facing emergency situations and financial distress. Awards are made without expectation of repayment. The Office of Global Outreach, Development, and Alumni Relations of Penn State Global appreciates your donation to provide timely assistance to international students in crisis and emergency. Your donation will make impact for our students in financial distress to complete their academic journey at Penn State.
Penn State Study Abroad Scholarship Fund:
Being exposed to new ideas, perspectives, and experiences not only provides Penn Staters with a well-rounded education but also shapes them into well-rounded people. And providing transformative opportunities is exactly what Penn State’s Study Abroad Fund is designed to do.
Study abroad opportunities have recently become available to students again after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Education Abroad staff is diligently preparing students for the new reality of study abroad in these challenging times, and our Penn State students are excited to learn as much as they can from their host cultures abroad. Expanding students’ global perspectives immersive international experiences is a cornerstone of preparing our students to be responsible global citizens and leaders.
Penn State University Park is ranked tenth in the nation for the number of students it sent abroad in the 2018-19 academic year. While more than 3,000 students across the University typically participate in an education abroad experience each year, many more miss out due to the cost. Through the support of the Education Abroad Fund, an increasing number of students can travel to parts of the world that they never thought they’d see—and have experiences that inform what they set out to accomplish with their careers and in their lives as global citizens.
Gifts to this fund help us prepare for the future of studying abroad and ensure that we have sufficient funds to help pay for students’ travel and lodging, groceries, tickets to museums and cultural attractions, guided weekend trips to experience a host country’s culture, and more. But above all else, gifts to the fund help make life-changing experiences possible for students looking to learn about our world and their place within it.
Testimonies for recipients of the International Student Emergency Fund –
“I was so glad that I could receive the Global Emergency Fund when I needed financial support. I paid for the rental payment of August with this fund. This August, I struggled with financial issues, to pay for rental costs, at the same time, to prepare for tuition and health insurance for the fall semester. My initial plan was to graduate from my doctoral program before this summer, but the dissertation process was delayed because of the pandemic. Therefore, in order to collect my dissertation research data, I had to stay in the US this summer. However, unlike past years that I could work on campus during summer vacations while preparing a dissertation proposal, this year, there were no job opportunities on campus during the summer because of the pandemic. In this situation, the global emergency fund was so helpful to reduce the financial burden and focus on my research work. As a result, I could successfully collect the data this summer and now expect to graduate next spring semester.”
– Eunsil Yoo
“I am an international student from China, and I am currently studying at the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State. As a recipient of the International Student Emergency Fund, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the donor who provided this funding opportunity.
The last academic year was quite challenging for me. I had a difficult time paying off bills due to a sudden medical emergency. Besides, my partner, who is also an international student, lost her assistantship during the pandemic. We were not able to cover our living expenses last summer.
When I searched online for PSU support for students, I found the International Student Emergency Fund. I applied and received the Emergency funding soon after that. This funding helped us immediately. I spent the money on our family’s groceries, and that was a massive relief for us. Thanks to the international student emergency fund, I could focus on my research without worrying about the grocery expenses.
In this academic year, I am working as a teaching assistant, and we are paying off the bills and getting back on track. I want to say thank you again to the donor who helped me during this difficult time. I want to encourage every student to seek help from school when facing challenges. Do not let finance be the reason that stops you from fulfilling your dream. In the future, when I am ready, I will also make contributions to the fund to help other international students going through challenges like me.”
– from Bowen Li
“I really appreciate this timely support of the international student emergency fund. Back in last year when the pandemic started, my life and research were impacted by it, I lost income and exhausted my savings. Fortunately, I received this timely international student emergency support and used it for my food and rent. This fund becomes so meaningful as it supported me through the hard time and let me go back on track.”
– from an anonymous recipient
“We all go through hardships in life, some of us encounter them earlier in life and some later. I was an international student before. When I was away from my parents and relatives, it was tough for them since I had to be on my own all the time. Through donating to the International Student Emergency Fund, not only that our students and their families know that the funding can help international students in need under emergency situations, but also I could voice my opinion, letting the school know what is important to our international students, and how I could make an impact to our Penn State’s global community.”
– from Dilun Wu, a Penn State alumna