Oak Ridge Today

Education Foundation’s Lawler Scholarship helps student; applications accepted

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tiffany-potok-and-scotland-architecture

Tiffany Potok and Scotland architecture (Submitted photo)

 

Tiffany Potok met students from throughout the world as an honors student at University of Glasgow, one of Europe’s oldest universities. Along with Scottish students, she met Canadians and lived in a flat with students from Brazil, China, Cyprus, and Malaysia during the spring semester this year.

She studied the Scottish enlightenment and took neuroscience courses while there. And she brought home some life lessons as well.

“One of the main take-aways I have is this: We focus way too much on cultural differences and how that separates us,” Potok said. “We need to focus more on what makes us all human.”

She was the recipient of the 2016 Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Student Scholarship, which provided funds to assist with her international studies experience. [Read more…]

Education Foundation accepting applications for International Study Scholarship

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Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation

The Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation is accepting applications through Friday for the Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Student Scholarship, offering students attending Oak Ridge public schools or recent graduates support for participating in international study programs.

Lawler, an Oak Ridge High School graduate who was the second student in Oak Ridge to participate in an American Field Service international exchange program, established the scholarship to offer students opportunities to gain tolerance and an understanding of people from other cultures through international study programs. Lawler, a retired marine biologist who died in 2013, had designated the Education Foundation to administer the scholarship endowment.

The deadline for submitting the application is Friday, March 6, 2015. Applications are available through the Foundation’s website at www.orpsef.org under the Lawler Scholarship tab, and should be returned to the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, P.O. Box 117 MS-22, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. Applicants may also call Jessica Steed, executive director of the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation, at (865) 241-3667 or e-mail her at [email protected] to request an application. [Read more…]

Education Foundation scholarship helps student with Hong Kong study abroad

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Patricia Garland in Hong Kong

Patricia Garland in Hong Kong (Submitted photo)

 

A cross-cultural learning experience in Hong Kong this summer helped Patricia Garland view sustainability problems and solutions from a new perspective.

“Culturally, it was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I had never been able to work with other cultures in this capacity,” said Garland, the 2014 spring recipient of the Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Scholarship. “It was fascinating.”

The Lawler Scholarship supports international study programs and is administered by the Oak Ridge Public Schools Education Foundation. Lawler, an Oak Ridge High School graduate and the second student here to participate in an American Field Service international program in 1957, established the scholarship in 2008 to offer students here similar opportunities to gain tolerance and understanding of people from other cultures.

Garland, 23, a 2009 ORHS graduate, studied abroad through a program at Arizona State University, where she is working on her master’s degree in sustainability. She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science, with a concentration on sociology and anthropology, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is the daughter of Sid and Anne Garland. [Read more…]

Education Foundation awards Lawler Scholarship

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Ben Gavin

Benjamin Gavin

Benjamin Gavin has a life goal of visiting every country in the world. His studies abroad during his junior year of college will allow him to check off several countries on his list.

The International Relations Club at Oak Ridge High School generated his interest in international affairs, and the Dr. Adrian R. Lawler Exchange Student Scholarship provided a $1,000 scholarship to assist him in his studies abroad.

Gavin is spending this semester in Ho Chi Minh City, where he will have opportunities to study economics, humanities, and Asian religions. His studies took him to Tunisia this summer, where he researched the effects of the Arab Spring. Next spring, Gavin will head to Tokyo, Japan, to explore the language, history, politics and culture of that country. [Read more…]