PCAFPD has arranged for “special scholarships” on behalf of individuals or groups with an expressed interest in sponsoring an individual student for four years. In some cases, the scholarships are in honor or in memory of a person, in others, a means for the sponsors to “give back” to their home or host country. The cost to sponsor an individual scholar is $1,500 a year—which covers tuition, books, fees, related educational expenses, and a partial living allowance. Sponsors receive reports about their scholars twice a year and arrangements can be made for correspondence with the scholars through the Foundation. For more information about special scholarships, please contact us.
Listed below is a selection of current and past sponsorships. They illustrate the varied types and motivations for establishing a special scholarship.
Julia Campbell Memorial Scholarships
In 2007 PCV Julia Campbell was tragically slain while hiking in the rice terraces shortly before she was to complete her service. Her killer was tried and is imprisoned. Julia’s family established the Julia Campbell Memorial Foundation (JCMF) to honor Julia’s memory. The mission of the JCMF is to award a yearly scholarship to a student who has “made a difference” at school, in their church or their community, and who is committed to making a difference throughout their lives. Julia’s mother, the president of the JCMF, described her reason for awarding scholarships in the Philippines as well as in the U.S., “I was able to see first hand the poverty that Julia lived amongst and she felt strongly that if she could influence these young people in their desire to learn that possibly they would be able to break their circle of poverty.” JCMF funds two simultaneous scholarships through PCAFPD.
BIMAK Scholarship
BIMAK is the acronym for Benguet, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Apayao, Abra and Kalinga, the provinces comprising the Cordillera Administrative Region in Northern Philippines. BIMAK is a non-profit organization dedicated to nurturing the heritage of these areas among Filipino-Americans residing in Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. It also gives assistance to brethren back in the Cordilleras. BIMAK has partnered with PCAFPD for many years, funding its scholarships in memory of Pamela Johnstone Moguet, BIMAK member and PCV in the Philippines in 1978-1980. Pam died of breast cancer in 1994 at the age of 38.
RPCVs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
A small group of Philippines RPCVs at USDA joined together to support a promising young scholar in agriculture. Board member Mark Holt, a former employee of USDA, organized the effort.
Group III Scholarship
This scholarship was set up by Sunshine Gibbs, an RPCV who served in Leyte in the Philippines in Group III from 1961-1963. Mr. Gibbs has named the scholarship in honor of the service of his whole group. The scholarship is preferably awarded to a student from Leyte. The first scholar under the program graduated in 2012.
Rachel Singer Memorial Scholarship
Rachel Singer was a Volunteer in Batangas from 1963-65 and worked for the Peace Corps in Washington D.C. for several years after her return. For the nearly 25 years, Rachel was a pivotal player at the New York Blood Center. In addition to her duties as Assistant to the President, she often served as a bone marrow courier, bringing that life source to people all over the world. Rachel was a talented singer who originally stirred souls in Manila’s pubs, an avid folk dancer, tennis player, runner, and aspiring golfer. But most of all, she was a good friend to all who knew and loved her. At the time of her death from stomach cancer on June 29, 2007 at the age of 67, she was planning a return trip to the Philippines. This scholarship honors her memory and is intended to help complete that circle for her.
The Association of Philippine Practicing Physicians of Arizona
APPPA is a membership organization of Filipino physicians founded in 1975 to support the professional development of its members. The group is also involved with community projects and sponsors cultural programs. Members have responded to natural disasters in the Philippines and have carried out Medical Missions in Baguio, Naga, Cagayan de Oro and Zambales. The Association sets aside a percentage of its membership dues in a scholarship fund and worked through PCAFPD to fund one scholar from Sorsogon for four years. The lucky recipient of the scholarship was the oldest of four children of a widowed mother. She attended Bicol University in Gubat and earned a degree in elementary education.
Douglas R. Watts Memorial Scholarship
Doug Watts (Group 1) served in the barrio of Rizal, Casiguran, Sorsogon from 1961-63. Doug had a great interest in the natural world and marine life in particular. While in the Philippines he explored the sea shore life and inspired Filipino children to be curious about the sea and the balance of life. A native of New Hampshire, Doug had a BA and Masters in biology from the University of New Hampshire. Following Peace Corps service, Doug taught in the Trust Territories schools on Palau in the West Caroline Islands. Later Doug joined the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, which took him all over the globe and gave him a chance to indulge his insatiable appetite to experience exotic places and cultures. Doug died on September 22, 2002 of a massive heart attack, survived by his wife Liz, their three children, and two grandchildren
Maureen Joan Carroll Scholarship
Peace Corps/Philippines Group 1 members donated over $5,000 to establish a scholarship to recognize fellow group member Maureen Carroll. The award acknowledges Maureen’s leadership over the years to keep Group 1 folks in touch with each other and her long and dedicated service as a Board Member and Board President of PCAFPD. The recipient of the scholarship completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in information technology, is currently a teacher and a leader in the PCAFPD Scholars and Alumni Association.
Soledad Tejada Memorial Scholarship
Soledad Taopo Tejada, known to most PCVs as Mama Choleng or Mama Ying, welcomed volunteers into her home in Catanduanes for over 35 years. Mama Choleng was a head teacher when she first began working with PCVs. As she advanced to principal and later to district supervisor, she remained a foster mother to all PCVs in the province. The home she shared with her husband, Pio, was a place for volunteers to meet, relax, and share their experiences. She looked after them with tender care, especially when they were sick, but when she felt they were out of line she also admonished them to be good — just like a real mother. The parents of the PCVs often wrote to thank her for her warm concern for their children. Her daughter, her nephew, and one grandchild all married PCVs. Mama Choleng died suddenly in March of 1997 at the age of 76. As a token of their appreciation for all she did for them, volunteers of Catanduanes established a scholarship in her name.
Individual Sponsors
In addition to named scholarship funds, a number of individual supporters of PCAFPD have personally sponsored students over the years. Among them are the following: Stefanie Simpson, Ron Peters, Sarah McMeans, Patrick and Emma Durst, Mr. and Mrs. Rey Bald, Sylvia Boecker, Lynn Gorton, Martha Allshouse-Hull, Lane and Jill Johnson, Chris and Glen Newhall, Allen Rothenberg, and Dr. and Mrs. Jay Slosberg.
Please contact us if you have questions or would like to establish an individual or special scholarship.