International Affairs students launch scholarship fund
Without scholarships, a lot of âsuper smartâ students would not be able to attend or finish college, young philanthropists note
(: By Clint Talbott, published in the Colorado Arts & Sciences Magazine 3/20/17)
Stephanie and Sarah Meyers, who will graduate in May with degrees in international affairs, havenât had to wonder how theyâll pay next semesterâs tuition. Some of their friends are less fortunate, and the two Âé¶čÊÓÆ” students have done something to help such students stay in college.
With a $30,000 gift from their family foundation, they established the Meyers Family Foundation Scholarship Fund, which aims to support one or two first-year students annually. The scholarships will be awarded to students who have financial need, and recipients will be eligible to renew the scholarships each year so long as they maintain a minimum grade-point average of 2.7. Pat Meyers, Stephanie and Sarahâs father and a partner at Smashburger, noted that the family established the Meyers Family Foundation in 2006. The trio, who serve as directors of the family foundation, have already supported various causes but wanted to support CU Boulderâs College of Arts and Sciences, he said. âMy daughters came up with the idea of a scholarship, which I thought was a great idea,â Pat Meyers said.
The twin sistersâ personal experiences drove the specification that scholarship recipients will be able to renew each year. âWe have a lot of friends who are on financial aid, and know how hard it is to come up with tuition. Even if it is only a few-thousand dollars every single year, if you take away that scholarship after the first year, itâs really hard for them to come up with that money,â Stephanie Meyers said. Many scholarships are not renewable, meaning students must re-apply each year, Sarah Meyers added. Scholarship recipients in that situation might be in a larger or more competitive applicant pool or simply might not be chosen in subsequent years. The goal is to help students stay in school and get their degrees, because, Sarah Meyers said, âIn the job world, you have to have a college degree.â The sisters said their coursework in international affairs underscores the fact that education helps people to âgrow outside of the world that they grew up in.â
âA lot of people take it for granted that we have the opportunity to go to college here, but most people donât,â Stephanie Meyers said, adding that without scholarships, âsuper-smartâ students they knew in high school would have been unable to afford college. âAll they want to do is be able to go to college, but tuition is $15,000-plus a year; you canât make those ends meet,â she said. âThey need these scholarships in order to make it work.â
The sisters themselves were drawn to international affairs because theyâve always shared an interest in culture, traveling and international development, in particular, Sarah Meyers said. They visited Senegal in 2013, after their senior year of high school, and saw âthe difference between development there and development here.â Two summers ago, the siblings went to Africa and took an economic-development course in Uganda and Rwanda, studying âwhat ways development work and which ways donât.â Speaking with Africans themselves about economic development from the localsâ perspective, âwe learned a lot more when it comes to international economic development, human-rights development, social development, education,â Stephanie Meyers said.
International affairs also touch on politics and policy, which also keenly interest the sisters. In the long term, Stephanie and Sarah Meyers, who have interned at the Global Education Fund in Boulder, are considering careers in international affairs that touch on law or policy. While they might go to law school in a few years, they are scouting for jobs in several capacities. Pat Meyers has a bachelorâs degree from CU Denver and a law degree from the University of California Hastings School of Law. Before college, he served in the U.S. Navy for six years. Stephanie and Sarah Meyers did not initially plan to attend CU Boulder. Though they grew up in Denver, they hadnât visited Boulder before it was time to apply to college. They loved it and are glad they came.
Thomas Zeiler, professor of history and director of the Program in International Affairs, returned the compliment, saying the program is proud of them and congratulates them on their impending graduation. âThey exemplify the generosity, motivation and thoughtfulness of our wonderful students,â Zeiler added.ÌęâThe Meyers family has made it possible for those with financial needs to attend CU Boulder and perhaps follow in the footsteps of Stephanie and Sarah in IAFS!â
Giving back to the college with a scholarship âhas been really great for all of us,â Pat Meyers said.
To supportÌęscholarships for arts and sciences students,Ìęplease contact the CU Office of Advancement at 303-541-1451 orÌęlaurie.e.loughrin@colorado.edu.ÌęYou can also visitÌęÌęto learn more.