travel fellowship uw

Wandering and wondering

A handful of UW students are selected as Bonderman Fellows every year. For eight months, they get to travel the world for an experience that’s eye-opening, unstructured and transformative.

UW graduate Sheri Imsdahl traveled throughout Africa and South America.

Where would you go if you had funding for an international trip lasting at least eight months?

How would you begin if you had limited travel experience but needed to visit at least six countries in two or more non-westernized regions?

What would you do if you couldn’t participate in any formal studies, programs or projects during your trip?

And what if you had to do all this alone?

Each year, between 16 and 18 UW students embark on such a journey through the Bonderman Fellowship. For eight months or more, they roam the world for an open, unstructured experience where the only real requirements are self-reliance and self-discovery. During their intensely personal journeys, they discover their potential for independence — and emerge transformed.

Dashni Amin

B.a., law, societies & justice with college honors, ’15.

• Travel dates: Dec. 2015–Aug. 2016
• Hometown: Seattle, WA
• Countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, India, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Morocco

“I planned to travel for eight months and meet women who would challenge my ideas about identity, spirituality and how to serve my communities. I also planned to challenge the way I moved through the world — the ways I’ve been taught, the ways I’m used to — and instead embrace the way I’ve wanted to own space but have not felt ‘enough’ to.

In Konya, Turkey, Amin visited the tomb of 13th-century mystic and poet Rumi. “I was in dhikr ,” she says, “the same joy for love that caused Rumi to toss his head back and twirl in the middle of a bazaar for the first time.”

“I met incredible women who taught me so much. In Jakarta, I met [women’s rights activist] Dr. Siti Musdah Mulia, whose words I don’t remember well because I was so excited to sit in her presence. In Kuala Lumpur, I met the women behind Sisters in Islam and Musawah, who eagerly took my offering of chocolates and broke it open to eat with me right away — they were preparing for a court case to challenge a fatwa issued against them and needed the energy. In Amman, I met with a powerlifter who used to run a Muslimahs’ reading group. We were supposed to meet for a half-hour after Iftar [evening meal during Ramadan] but didn’t leave until midnight because we were sharing vulnerabilities and life stories over Turkish coffees.

In Wadi Rum, Jordan, Amin spent her days cooking zarb — Bedouin barbecue — as well as driving in the dunes, climbing boulders and stargazing.

“Before this trip, I had a goal-driven existence that, however unconsciously, made my self-worth conditional upon achievement. The unstructured nature of the fellowship gave me the opportunity to redefine worthiness. I had to be comfortable determining if I was taking advantage of this incredible gift on my own without any external validation. I started the — lifelong, probably — process of giving up harsh judgments and strict expectations for a more accepting, embracing attitude.

“The Bonderman Fellowship was as much struggle as triumph. We aren’t just out there surfing and home-staying; we’re voluntarily putting ourselves in the way of growing pains. We’re reimagining the way we think about the world, what a life means and who we are. Having one ontology and then being confronted with so many incredibly different takes makes for a lot of humility.

“This trip has been the best part of my life. I hope Mr. Bonderman and the other people who made this experience so wonderful might get a glimpse at the depth of their impact and my gratitude. For a refugee kid whose movement around the world was motivated by force and fear, to embark on a bold adventure back around it as a learner — what a gift!”

A jet-lagged Amin woke up early enough to catch the sunrise on the island of Penang in Malaysia. As she took in the moment, she watched two girls head off to a nearby school after kissing their mother goodbye.

Amin visited Swayambhunath, a Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, for a moment of respite before going to work on Her Farm, which hosts women in need of a safe place.

The Qutb complex in Delhi, India, contains minaret relics and an active masjid , or mosque. “I took this photo in the shady courtyard, hoping to remember the rest and welcome of the moment without invading the privacy of the space,” Amin says.

On Amin’s first day in Rabat, Morocco, she wandered the Medina and took in the colors — and the loud negotiating.

B.F.A., Photomedia with Honors, ’15

• Travel dates: Dec. 2015–Sept. 2016
• Hometown: Everett, WA
• Countries: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Japan, South Korea, China, Nepal, India, Greece  

The ancient city of Haridwar, India, on the Ganges River. Bell visited during the Maha Shivaratri festival.

“I grew up in Everett. Just from a lack of resources and a lack of access, I had a pretty limited understanding of how things go in the world. Going to the UW was good for me because it broadened my scope — that’s when I started getting involved in community organizing and organization, and furthering my involvement in the arts. And then, from my travels after that, my worldview has inverted itself.

“My goal was to go to the farthest, most remote point in every country I visited. When I was in Japan, I went to the northern tip. When I was in Argentina, I went to Ushuaia. When I was in China, I wanted to follow the Silk Road as far west as I could, and I made it to Kashgar.

“Environment — landscape, social, economic, political — drastically shapes people. Through understanding this, I’ve realized that a lot of things about myself that I held as individuality are in fact products of my environment.

“Patience and observation are more important than learning the language, but it’s better if you have all three. I’m a lot better at listening to people now and not having to say something back.

“There’s no such thing as ‘normal’ in an objective sense. When I returned to Seattle after my travels, and I felt the shock of seeing the United States with perhaps a more critical eye, it changed me. I used to think, ‘That’s just how things are.’ Now I think, ‘That’s just how things are around here .’ I would like to get myself into a position where I can host travelers on a frequent basis. While travel is the best way to challenge your worldview, it isn’t the only way.

“David Bonderman put everything else in my life on hold, and, with a smirk, said, ‘Here’s eight months of travel — go figure it out.’ That’s how I perceive it, anyway.

“Living through this experience is a totally different thing than reading about it or having someone tell you about it. There’s really no comparison.”

No man’s land between Peru and Chile, as captured by Bell during the first overland crossing of his travels.

A friendly perro rolled at Bell’s feet in Santiago, Chile.

After visiting Ushuaia, Argentina’s southernmost city, Bell endured hours of blustery Tierra del Fuego winds as he waited for a ferry to the mainland. “Once on the water, we were escorted by a group of dolphins,” he remembers.

Bell hitchhiked to Wakkanai, the northernmost city in Japan. “My ultimate goal in most places I traveled was to start in one extreme of the country and move to the opposite extreme — and see how the culture shifted as I went along.”

Bell explored the austere landscape of western China with friends he met during his travels.

Sheri Imsdahl

M.s., mechanical engineering, ’09 ph.d., mechanical engineering, ’15.

• Travel dates: June 2016–March 2017
• Hometown: Minneapolis, MN
• Countries: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, South Africa, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil

One of Ethiopia’s most famous churches, Abuna Yemata Guh, is said to have been carved into the cliff face in the fifth century. The final ascent requires the use of hand- and footholds worn into the rock over centuries.

“I went directly from undergraduate to graduate school. The fellowship felt like a big way to break out of the university bubble that I had been in for so long. I was really excited to do something that would feel so different.

“This was an amazing gift and opportunity, but I think anybody who travels or steps away from their real life for a period of time knows that there’s also a component of sacrifice that goes along with it. That is, not being around family and friends or missing big moments or events in their lives; putting your own personal and professional goals on the backburner to be away.

“This trip has made me much more comfortable with the idea of change. As my trip has progressed, I’ve noticed that my emotions aren’t tied as strongly to my exact set of circumstances as they used to be. And now, whenever I’m placed in foreign, unexpected or sometimes uncomfortable situations, it’s easier to adjust and start thriving in my new environment.

“The first time I realized I was getting more comfortable with change was when I was in Kigali, Rwanda, about seven weeks into my trip. It was the first time that I’ve felt a sense of home in a place other than Seattle or Minnesota. And this was striking to me because of how different Kigali is from both of those places. This shift in my adaptability has given me a sense of peace as I look ahead at my post-travel life.

“This trip gave me a lot more practice on appreciating the small things. In Malawi, my bus broke down and I had to make two unexpected transfers. It ended up taking 12 hours to go 200 miles, but despite how exasperating the day was, my clearest memory is the man I met midway through who kept me company and helped me make those transfers. He even called a taxi for me when we finally got to Lilongwe, because we arrived after dark and he wanted to make sure I got to my hostel safely. That day was great practice in focusing on the positive over the negative, an important skill I developed throughout my trip.

“Words seem wholly inadequate to express the depth of my gratitude and explain how I’ve been changed by this experience. I’ve met people who’ve challenged my ways of thinking and being. I’ve been placed in situations that stretched the limits of my patience and empathy. And through it all, I’ve gained a renewed confidence in my strengths and abilities.”

At a bustling market in Kampala, Uganda.

“Markets always seem to hold the heartbeat of a city,” says Imsdahl, who visited as many as she could. She snapped this photo at a fish market on the shore of Kenya’s Lake Naivasha.

Imsdahl made the trip to South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, on the tip of the southernmost region of the African continent.

Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier, one of the most memorable excursions from the six weeks Imsdahl spent in Patagonia, is roughly three miles wide, with an average height of 240 feet above the water.

A highlight of Imsdahl’s visit to Brazil: the opportunity to try new fruits and vegetables. She took this photo at a market in Rio de Janeiro.

Behind the Bonderman Fellowship

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1966, David Bonderman (who earned his bachelor’s from the UW in 1963) received a Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellowship, enabling him to tour the world for a year. The experience had a profound impact on him, and he wanted future generations of students to enjoy the same opportunity.

Since Bonderman established his travel fellowship in 1995, 254 UW students have been selected as recipients. Thanks to his recent commitment of a substantial endowment to keep funding the fellowship, UW students will continue to have their lives — and perspectives — altered for decades to come.

The 2017 Bonderman Fellows were recently selected. Learn more about who they are and where their journeys will take them.

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UW Fellowships

Bonderman travel fellowship.

The Bonderman Travel Fellowships are created through a generous gift from David Bonderman, who earned his undergraduate degree in Russian from the University of Washington in 1963. The Bonderman Travel Fellowship program offers graduate students (including those in the Law and Business schools) and undergraduate students in the University Honors Program an opportunity to engage in independent exploration and travel abroad.  The Fellowship enables recipients to extend their experiences and expand their cultural horizons by exploring different parts of the world. 

UW Graduate School Fellowships

The  Graduate School Office of Fellowships and Assistantships  also maintains information on university and nationwide graduate fellowships, as well as resources for finding outside funding sources. They also maintain a Hot List of links to funding information and resources for graduate students.

Student Travel Awards

Graduate student travel awards are offered by the Graduate School and are available to assist graduate students with travel fares to conferences or other professional meetings to present a paper or serve as an invited speaker. Funds may be used for airfare or fares supporting alternative modes of transportation. Individual awards are limited to one per fiscal year. Priority will be given to Ph.D. and research Master's students. Maximum award amounts are:

• $300 domestic
• $500 international

A restricted amount of funding is available each fiscal quarter to support graduate student travel within the quarter. Funding will be approved on a first-come-first-served basis with adjustments to maintain equity in the process.  

Application Procedures

Recommendations for awards must be made to the Chair by a MELC faculty member. Requests may be submitted at any time for any date during the fiscal year but must include the student's name, student ID number, date, and purpose of travel.  Approved applications will then be submitted to the Graduate School for approval and award.

Graduate School Supplemental Fellowships

Some supplemental fellowships are available through the Graduate School for incoming graduate students who are recipients of prestigious fellowships (e.g., the Mellon Fellowship). Contact the Graduate School directly for information.

Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund for Graduate Students

Dolores Liebmann supported students and charitable organizations in her lifetime and created a fund to continue support after her death. The " Dolores Zohrab Liebmann Fund " supports graduate students who show "outstanding character and ability who hold promise for achievement and distinction in their chosen fields of study." The University of Washington is one of the institutions selected to submit three nominees for this national fellowship.

Fritz Undergraduate Scholarship for Study Abroad

Supports international study or research by UW undergraduate students in the social sciences and humanities. Visit the Fritz Scholarship page for more information.

Fritz/Boeing Graduate Fellowships for International Research and Study

These one-quarter grants provide support to UW graduate students doing international research or study. Visit the International Research and Study fellowship page for more information.

Global Opportunities Scholarship

The Global Opportunities Scholarships for Study Abroad increases the access to international learning opportunities for Washington state resident students with significant financial need. Applications are reviewed and funds are awarded each quarter.

Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE)

Graduate Student Equity & Excellence (GSEE) , a division of The Graduate School, works to promote greater access to advanced studies for students of color and traditionally underrepresented groups. GSEE exists to maintain a diverse graduate student community and to enhance the quality of the graduate experience for all students. GSEE provides leadership in recruitment and retention of ethnic minority and underrepresented students.

Graduate and Professional Student Senate Travel Grants

Any graduate or professional student attending the University of Washington Seattle campus is eligible to apply for up to $250 in travel grants. The funds can be used for traveling to an academic or professional conference that relates to a student's area of study and will enhance professional development. Applications are considered every three months.

Husky Promise

The University of Washington has a long history of providing access to all citizens of the State of Washington regardless of their economic means. The University is committed to ensuring that low and lower middle-income students can afford to choose the UW.

To ensure the UW remains affordable, the  Husky Promise  guarantees that full tuition will be covered by grant or scholarship support if you are a low- or lower middle-income student and a Washington resident. These grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid. If you qualify for the Husky Promise you can be assured that if tuition increases, the University of Washington has you covered!

Jackson School of International Studies

The Jackson School offers a number of Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships to graduate students from all areas. Many of our graduate students have been successful in obtaining Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowships from the Jackson School.

Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowships  (FLAS) 

Fellowships for U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are students of  Persian. Please note: The application required for this fellowship must be obtained from the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, Student Services Office, Box 353650, 303 Thomson, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-3650.

Office of Merit Scholarship Fellowships & Awards

The Office of Merit Scholarship Fellowships & Awards  provides the University of Washington undergraduates with information about local and national merit-based scholarships, fellowships, and grants, including the Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, and the Mary Gates Endowment. They help prepare UW students to compete for nationally competitive, merit-based scholarships, and awards. They also publicize major opportunities, select the university's nominees, and provide intensive advising to candidates.

Office of Student Financial Aid

The Office of Student Financial Aid provides students with both financial aid and a number of need-based and academic scholarships. Please keep in mind their  January 15 Priority Filing Deadline  for the following academic year.

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Bonderman Graduate Travel Fellowship

Bonderman Graduate Travel Fellowships are intended to provide an intensive solo travel experience to expand personal horizons. The fellowship is  not  for research projects, formal study at a foreign university, or internships abroad.

DEADLINE: Wednesday , March 29, 2023, noon (PST)

Eligibility.

• Must be a University of Washington graduate student, or graduate business, law or other professional student
• Must be registered in course credits in a degree program during winter quarter 2023 (being on leave is not considered enrolled)
• Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident

For undergraduate eligibility, please see the  Bonderman Fellowship website .

Application process

To view information about the application process and access the application, please visit the  Bonderman Fellowship website .

Information sessions will be held; dates, times, and locations can be found on the  Bonderman Fellowship website .

For questions not answered at a session, you may email  [email protected] .

Awardee Stories

Channing nesbitt looks forward to bonderman adventure, natalie gasca — a biostatistician travels the world.

Return to List of Fellowships

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Bonderman Travel Fellowship Open for Applications

Where would you go if you had eight months and $23,000 to travel solo? Which two continents and six countries would you visit? 

Embark on the adventure of a lifetime with a  Bonderman Fellowship . The 2021  application  is  due on Monday, January 11, 2021 at 12:00 pm (noon). 

Each year a select group of UW students are provided a rare opportunity to independently travel the world as Bonderman Fellows. David Bonderman, a UW alumnus, created the Bonderman Fellowship in 1995, which has funded life-changing global journeys for more than 280 students.

The Bonderman Fellowship offers University of Washington graduate, professional, and undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in independent exploration and travel abroad. Administered by the University Honors Program and the Graduate School, Bonderman Fellowships enable students to undertake independent international travel to explore, be open to the unexpected, and come to know the world in new ways. Fellows may not participate in a program or organization, engage in formal study at a foreign university, conduct research or other academic projects, or travel with an organized group. Bonderman Fellowships are intended to introduce students to cultures, peoples, and areas of the world with which they are not familiar.

More information, including  eligibility requirements  and information session details can be found at  bonderman.uw.edu .

The last information session will be  Wednesday, 1/6/21, 4:00-5:00 pm – register here . 

The last Q&A session will be  Thursday, 1/7/21, 12:15-12:45pm – sign in here  

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Announcing the 2024 Bonderman Travel Fellowship Competition

We're excited to announce that the 2023-24 Bonderman Fellowship  application will open Monday, November 20, 2023! We'll be holding information sessions in the coming months and would greatly appreciate it if you would share the announcement below with graduate and professional students at UW. Note that undergraduate students are not eligible to apply this year.

Please note that the deadline is 12 p.m. ( noon ) January 16, 2024 . Students interested in the Bonderman Fellowship should carefully review the website   for guidelines and tips, and also plan to attend one of the scheduled information sessions.

Michelle & Robyn

The Bonderman Fellowship Team

*******************

Where would you go if you had eight months to travel solo? Which two regions and six to nine countries would you visit? What experiences would you seek out? How would you be transformed?

Each year a handful of lucky University of Washington students get to make those decisions as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime with the support of a Bonderman Fellowship. The 2023-24 application is opening on Monday, November 20 and you may be eligible to apply for this $26,000 fellowship that supports independent exploration and travel abroad.

Bonderman Fellows undertake international travel on their own for eight months, to six to nine countries in two or more major regions of the world. Through solo travel fellows focus on exploration and discovery, learning about the world and themselves in it. Each fellowship carries a $26,000 award to be used only for extended solo international travel. Fellows may not conduct research, pursue an academic project, or participate in a formal program or organization.

Applications are due by 12 p.m. ( noon ) on Monday, January 16, 2024 . 

View the schedule and register for an information session >

More information and the application can be found at bonderman.uw.edu ; please review the eligibility requirements below to see if you may apply.

Eligibility:

In 2023-24, the Bonderman Fellowship will offer University of Washington graduate and professional students from the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses an opportunity to engage in independent international travel. Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a University of Washington graduate or professional degree program the quarter the application is due (Winter Quarter 2024). O n leave status is not considered “enrolled”. Professional students include those in Law (JD), Medicine (MD), Dentistry (DDS), and Pharmacy (PharmD) degree programs.
• Be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
• Be in good academic, conduct and disciplinary standing during the quarter the application is due (Winter Quarter 2024).
• If awarded, good academic, disciplinary and conduct standing is a prerequisite of receiving the fellowship.

Please note:  Undergraduate students are not eligible to apply this year. Please see our website FAQs  for more information on this decision.

To learn more about this extraordinary opportunity, please review the Applying   and FAQ   sections of the website.

Best regards,

The Bonderman Team

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Bonderman Travel Fellowship

Website: Bonderman Travel Fellowship

Description

Each year a select group of UW students are provided a rare opportunity to independently travel the world as Bonderman Fellows. David Bonderman, a UW alumnus, created the Bonderman Fellowship in 1995, which has funded life-changing global journeys for more than 280 students.

The Bonderman Fellowship offers University of Washington graduate, professional, and undergraduate students an opportunity to engage in independent exploration and travel abroad. Administered by the University Honors Program and the Graduate School, Bonderman Fellowships enable students to undertake independent international travel to explore, be open to the unexpected, and come to know the world in new ways. Fellows may not participate in a program or organization, engage in formal study at a foreign university, conduct research or other academic projects, or travel with an organized group. Bonderman Fellowships are intended to introduce students to cultures, peoples, and areas of the world with which they are not familiar.

For more than twenty years UW alumnus David Bonderman has supported UW students via travel fellowships that ask them to explore, challenge themselves, and see the globe through a different lens. Bonderman, who earned his undergraduate degree in Russian from the University of Washington in 1963, received a Sheldon Fellowship after graduating from Harvard Law School, which allowed him to travel internationally and had a profound impact on his life. In 2017 the University of Washington Bonderman Fellowship expanded its impact with a $10 million endowment from David Bonderman.

Get the most up-to-date information about this program, eligibility, application details at https://bonderman.uw.edu/

Eligibility

Please see https://bonderman.uw.edu/ for details.

• Permanent Resident

Contact Information

Brook Kelly

Assistant Director of Academic Services

University Honors Program

University of Washington, Seattle

[email protected]

Award Details

Number of Awards: up to 8 graduate and 8 undergraduate awards

Award Amount: $23,000

More Information

Bonderman Fellowships enable students to undertake independent international travel to explore, be open to the unexpected, and come to know the world in new ways. An applicant need not have a travel theme or project but should demonstrate initiative, commitment, passion, honesty, and creativity.  Travel plans should be personal and not about academic research.

 Because this journey is intended to foster independence, fellows may not:

• participate in a program or organization;
• engage in formal study at a university;
• conduct research or other academic projects; or
• travel with an organized group while carrying out the obligations of the fellowship.

Additionally, these fellowships should introduce students to cultures, peoples, and areas of the world with which they are not familiar, therefore:

• travel to highly westernized/developed areas (including Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) is not competitive;
• family heritage trips are not competitive;
• preference is given to candidates without extensive international travel experience.

Copyright © 2007–2024 University of Washington . Managed by the Center for Experiential Learning & Diversity , a unit of Undergraduate Academic Affairs .

2021 Fellows selected

“The Bonderman: an invitation to step off the so-called path I was on. A gift of observation, solitude, challenge and of possibility.”

-Chelsea Affleck (2018 Fellow)

Each year a select group of UW students are provided a rare opportunity to independently travel the world as Bonderman Fellows. David Bonderman, a UW alumnus, created the Bonderman Travel Fellowship in 1995, and it has funded life-changing global journeys for more than 295 students thus far.  

This year, we are excited to welcome in the 2021 Bonderman cohort, who will join the other Bonderman fellows from this past year who are patiently and eagerly waiting for Bonderman travel to reopen. While UW Bonderman travel is currently on hiatus, the intention and spirit of the Bonderman Fellowship – to get to know other people and cultures, to go beyond one’s comfort zone, and to see the world as more complex than before – are especially relevant now. While we don’t yet know when our waiting fellows will be able to travel, we look forward to seeing what they make of this unique opportunity.

The ten Bonderman Fellows of 2021 will travel to over sixty countries, spanning five continents collectively. Each fellow will independently explore at least two world regions and six countries during an eight-month journey. The broad vision of the Bonderman is to inspire individual transformation by expanding the fellow’s understanding of themselves and of the complex and interconnected world we live in. With this vision in mind, each fellow designs a unique travel plan without academic study, projects or research. 

Bonderman Fellows are encouraged to challenge their assumptions about the places they explore and people they meet during their journeys, and instead be open to new discoveries. Increasing our interactions with different people, cultures and places around the world has become increasingly important as technology has accelerated globalization and shaped our digital collective lens on the world. Learning about the world through travel and in-person interactions provides a varied, humane, and complicated understanding of individuals and communities across the world. 

About David Bonderman

For more than twenty years UW alumnus David Bonderman has annually supported UW students via travel fellowships that ask them to explore, be open to the unexpected, and come to know the world in new and unexpected ways. The University of Washington Bonderman Fellowship expanded its impact in 2017 with a $10 million endowment from David Bonderman.

Applying to the Bonderman Travel Fellowship

UW graduate students, professional students, and undergraduate students are eligible to apply for the Bonderman Travel Fellowship. The application process includes an essay, a proposed itinerary, and an interview with a selection committee composed of University of Washington faculty and staff, as well as former Bonderman Fellows. For more information, go to: https://bonderman.uw.edu/applying/

About the 2021 Fellows

Regions and countries to be explored:

Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan , Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazi l, Cameroon, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, French Guiana, French West Indies, Ghana, Greece, In dia, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Philippines, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Tajikistan, and more!

While Bonderman Fellows don’t do research or study during their journeys, their travel interests are diverse. Below are some of the interests of the 2021 cohort:

• Conservation, colonization, imperialism and environmental equity
• Global citizenship and responsibility 
• Religion, culture and identity
• Collective liberation of oppressed peoples
• The intersections between identity and the environment
• The relationship between place and identity
• Personal identity and ancestry 
• Exploring sustainability through food
• Radical self-care as a tool for resistance and decolonization
• Community and individual healing
• How culture shapes the pursuit of fulfillment

Undergraduate Fellows

Graduate and Professional Fellows

Aislyn has always been deeply curious about the dominant narratives often expressed about people and places, and the core societal tenets that influence these narratives.

In her travels, Aislyn is excited to take a look at traditional and emerging views of community, success, history, race/ethnicity, gender, leadership, language, and art. She hopes to understand how these are intertwined, and what their role is in creating within-country and between-country power dynamics. Aislyn will strive to form a deeper understanding of how people can effectively and equitably live together, and how bridges can be formed between groups with core tenets that seemingly differ. Aislyn’s itinerary includes Senegal, Morocco, Kenya, Japan, and Indonesia.

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© 2024 University of Washington | Seattle, WA

Travel the world with the Graduate Bonderman Fellowship – apply by 3/29

February 2, 2023

Where would you go if you had five to eight months to travel solo? Which two regions and four to eight countries would you visit? What experiences would you seek out? How would you be transformed?

Each year a handful of lucky UW students get to make those decisions as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime with the support of a $23,000  Bonderman Fellowship . In 2023 we will accept applications from UW graduate and professional students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who are enrolled in the spring quarter of 2023 . (Undergraduates are not eligible to apply in 2023. See  here  for more info on that decision). 

Applications are DUE on March 29, 2023 by 12 pm (noon) PDT.

The 2023 application is now open in MyGrad at the ‘Request an Award’ link. 

More information may be found at  bonderman.uw.edu

INFO SESSIONS:

Wednesday, February 15, 4-5 pm, at https://washington.zoom.us/j/92362357030

Tuesday, March 14, 5-6 pm, at  https://washington.zoom.us/j/91343856772

Q&A drop-in: Tuesdays, March 07, 14, 28, 5-5:30pm, https://washington.zoom.us/j/97351835741  

Questions?  Contact us at  [email protected]  

Best regards,

The Office of Fellowships and Awards, The Graduate School

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• Department of Global Health Awards 25 Students with Travel Fellowships

The Department of Global Health awarded 25 international travel fellowships to support the projects and research of graduate students at UW for the next academic year. Students from varied disciplines across the University of Washington, including global health, epidemiology, nursing, health metric sciences, and environmental health sciences, will travel to 13 countries to engage with local communities and pursue fieldwork experience. Projects range from investigating antimicrobial resistance patterns in Ecuador to promoting neonatal health through text messaging interventions in Kenya. 

The Department’s travel fellowships are funded through the generous donations of private individuals and organizations, as well as support from the Department of Global Health. 

Warren George Povey Endowed Fund for Global Health Students 

Global Opportunities (GO) Health Fellowship  

Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship  

Stergachis Endowed Fellowship for International Exchange  

Global Mental Health Fellowship 

WARREN GEORGE POVEY ENDOWED FUND FOR GLOBAL HEALTH STUDENTS 

Nuno Alberto de Jesus Ximenes, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Timor-Leste 

Nuno is an MPH student in the Department of Global Health. With support from the Warren George Povey Endowed Fund, he will be traveling to Timor this summer to assist HAMNASA, a local organization, in evaluating its mother and child tuberculosis program across four health facilities. The primary goal of this evaluation is to identify the barriers and facilitators to the success of the project, which has been implemented since 2021. The results of this evaluation program aim to provide recommendations to the Ministry of Health of Timor-Leste, suggesting the incorporation of tuberculosis screening as part of antenatal care. This is particularly important considering Timor-Leste's high prevalence of tuberculosis cases. 

Aneth Dinis, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | Mozambique  

Aneth is a 4th year PhD student in Implementation Science, in the Department of Global Health. She applied to the Warren George Povey Endowed Fund to disseminate her dissertation results in Sofala and Manica provinces in Mozambique. Aneth’s research area of interest is service delivery of maternal and child services, which aligns well with her dissertation topic - The impact of audit and feedback in reducing neonatal mortality. She hopes the dissemination will help inform and tailor better strategies to improve population health. 

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES (GO) HEALTH FELLOWSHIP 

Eliud Akama, DrGH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Eliud is a 2nd year DrGH student at the Department of Global Health. He is travelling to Kisumu with support from the GO Health Fellowship and will be working with Village Reach to explore scale and sustainment of digital health cases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Eliud’s project is titled An Application of Kingdon's three stream Framework and the mHealth Assessment and Planning for Scale (MAPS) Toolkit to Examine Scale and Sustainment Cases of mHealth in LMICs. Understanding how and why some digital health interventions attain large scale-up and long-term sustainment could help his community have a more nuanced understanding on what to do or not do to attain digital health scale and sustainment. 

Jacinta Azie, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Jacinta is an MPH student in the Department of Global Health. With support from the GO Health Fellowship, she will be traveling to Kenya to evaluate the effectiveness of the Teenage Empowerment Program of the Maasai Association with a goal to curb teenage pregnancy, early marriage, and female genital mutilation. Working on this topic will lead to increased safety, health and rights of girls and young women which has a ripple effect on communities and society at large. Through this project, the Maasai Association will become better equipped to advocate for an end to FGM, teenage pregnancies and early marriage in their community. 

Jiawei He, PhD Student, Department of Health Metrics Sciences | Switzerland  

Jiawei is a PhD student in Health Metrics Sciences. As a recipient of the GO Health Fellowship, Jiawei will be traveling to Geneva, Switzerland to study the risk and associated factors for mortality among HIV-infected children and young adolescents on antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low-resource settings. Through his fellowship with the WHO's Division of Data, Analytics, and Delivery for Impact, Jiawei hopes to gain policy-making experience and collaborate with local health departments to inform policy decisions based on research findings. His project addresses a crucial public health issue, and he hopes to contribute by sharing advanced modeling methods to support evidence-based strategies for reducing mortality in this population. By equipping WHO policymakers with these tools, Jiawei aims to facilitate informed decision-making and make a positive impact on international recommendations and efforts to improve outcomes for children and young adolescents on ART. 

Irene Maeri, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Irene is a first-year MPH student in the Department of Global Health. She will be traveling to Kenya under the GO Health Fellowship to conduct primary data collection for her thesis titled Exploring the Role of Social Support in Viral Suppression among Adolescents and Young Adults Living with HIV (YLH) in Homabay County. She is interested in this topic because young people living with HIV (YLH) worldwide often struggle with adhering to their antiretroviral treatment, resulting in elevated viral load, compromised immune systems, and increased susceptibility to opportunistic illnesses. This not only diminishes their quality of life but also heightens the risk of HIV transmission. To address these challenges, the study aims to comprehensively examine the factors that influence the seeking and utilization of social support among YLH, both with and without viral suppression. Additionally, it seeks to identify barriers, facilitators, and strategies for enhancing social support for this population. By employing qualitative research methods, the study will actively engage YLH, caregivers, and healthcare providers to assess the direct impact of—informational, instrumental, emotional, and appraisal support—on the viral suppression of YLH. By conducting this study, Irene hopes to generate insights that can inform the development of targeted interventions and programs aimed at improving social support systems for YLH.  

Jerusha Mogaka, PhD Student, School of Nursing | Kenya 

Jerusha is a PhD in Nursing Science student interested in HIV and STI prevention and treatment, particularly within maternal and child health settings, to improve health outcomes during pregnancy and birth. Through the GO Health Fellowship, Jerusha will travel to Kenya and examine the relationship between STI testing and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use patterns among women in maternal and child health (MCH) settings. Using qualitative data approaches as part of her PhD dissertation, Jerusha hopes to understand user experiences in laboratory testing of curable STI testing during the peripartum period to inform future national implementation guidelines of similar programs. 

Stanley Ndwiga, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Stanley is an MPH student in the Department of Global Health. With support from the GO Health Fellowship, he is traveling to Nairobi, Kenya, to undertake a research project on factors that affect how well young people aged 15-24 take their antiretroviral medication by determining the burden and impact of psychosocial factors on viral load suppression. Stanley hopes the community will benefit from the project by identifying the factors that influence medication adherence among this population group. This knowledge will be used to develop targeted interventions and strategies to improve adherence rates and address their unique challenges. The community will also have more access to evidence-based interventions and strategies to enhance medication adherence among adolescents and young people living with HIV and other chronic illnesses. 

THOMAS FRANCIS, JR. GLOBAL HEALTH FELLOWSHIP 

Viviana Alban, PhD Student, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences | Ecuador 

Viviana is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences. Through the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship, Viviana will travel to Quito, Ecuador, to conduct a summer project investigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns in E. coli strains isolated from animal fecal samples. The scientific data will constitute baseline information for her research plans and provide valuable information on AMR profiles and potential risks associated with different animal types in a low-and middle-income country. Leading this project will contribute to her growth as an early career researcher on animal-to-human AMR transmission and child health. This travel constitutes an opportunity to build technical capacity in-country and to work closely with Ecuadorian undergraduate and graduate students. 

Tessa Concepcion, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Tessa is a PhD student in Global Health Implementation Science. With support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship, Tessa will be traveling to Kisumu, Kenya to evaluate potential barriers and facilitators to acceptability and feasibility of mWACh-PrEP implementation in routine antenatal care (ANC) delivery settings. Mobile WACh PrEP (mWACh-PrEP) is an SMS communication platform that sends PrEP-tailored, theory-based SMS to facilitate adherence among pregnant women who initiate PrEP.  Tessa will conduct a qualitative evaluation at the individual-, provider-, and health systems-level to inform future scale-up. To assess acceptability and feasibility, she will conduct interviews and focus-groups with ANC-PrEP users, providers, and PrEP stakeholders. Pregnancy is a period of high HIV acquisition risk for African women and prevention research in this group lags behind other populations. Many pregnant Kenyan women with HIV risk factors accept PrEP when offered during ANC, yet >50% of pregnant women discontinue PrEP within 30 days of initiation. Tessa’s role as qualitative lead will directly support the parent project and study team by shouldering study responsibilities and building qualitative research capacity.  

Manal Jmaileh, MD-MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Ghana 

Manal is an MD/MPH student and ITHS Research Fellow with research interests in healthcare delivery in limited-resource settings, injury prevention, global health, and defining healthcare capacity. Under the guidance of esteemed faculty mentors Dr. Barclay Stewart and Dr. Charlie Mock, she conducts research aimed at improving healthcare access and emergency response in vulnerable communities. She will be traveling to Ghana with support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship. Manal is originally from Tacoma, WA, and is currently working on her master's degree in Global Health.   

Ana Krause, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | Ethiopia 

Ana is a PhD student in the Department of Global Health, who will be traveling to Harar, Ethiopia with support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship. Her project will involve adapting two forms of simulation-based skills training (virtual and in-situ) for emergency department clinicians at the Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HFCSH), and evaluating their usefulness and acceptability in this setting. This project responds to educational needs identified by our partners in Ethiopia and is part of a larger partnership with Haramaya University, Queen’s University, and the University of Ottawa. Ana is delighted to have the opportunity to collaborate with the HFCSH emergency team in-country on this project, which may help inform the development of future simulation education for lower resource emergency departments. She also hopes to learn more about Harar's rich history and culture.

Floria Nyandaya, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Nigeria

Floria is an MPH student in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington. Through the Thomas Francis Jr. Fellowship, she will travel to Abuja, Nigeria, to conduct a landscape analysis of diversity gaps in cancer drug clinical trials and evaluate phase III clinical trial site readiness at Zenith Medical and Kidney Center in collaboration with Hurone AI. With a passion for improving oncology health disparities among underrepresented populations, Floria seeks to utilize digital health technologies to enhance clinical trials and augment treatment and care in resource-constrained settings. Her collaborative work will promote trial diversity, leading to more accurate and representative outcomes for approved cancer drugs in diverse settings. By leveraging machine learning, Floria's practicum aims to democratize access to affordable, equitable, and context-specific oncology care, benefiting patients in Nigeria and individuals of African descent.

Tiara Ranson, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Tiara is a first year MPH student in the Department of Global Health, with interests in maternal and reproductive health. This summer Tiara will be traveling to Kisumu, Kenya with support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship. She will conduct process mapping to evaluate the level of family planning integration into six HIV clinics. At each facility, Tiara will follow the path of a theoretical woman living with HIV taking note of any interaction with staff, the wait times during visits, and any referral procedures. FP-HIV integration is a new approach to reproductive care for vulnerable populations affected by HIV; process mapping is a great way to provide a baseline for integration levels while also understanding what might be successful or limiting in the clinic setting for FP-HIV researchers and intervention implementers. 

Priyanka Shrestha, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Priyanka is a PhD student in the Implementation Science program in the Department of Global Health. With support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship, Priyanka will be traveling to Kisumu, Kenya to identify potential disparities in access and delivery of a text messaging intervention (CHV-NEO) to promote neonatal health in Kenya. Priyanka has always been interested in improving maternal and child health (MCH) through innovative solutions, which dates to her prior work in global health. This project particularly gives her an opportunity to take a step further into her research interests and learn about intersections between health disparities and persistent MCH problems. This project is nested within a larger trial that connects community health workers with caregivers via an interactive two-way SMS tool to reduce neonatal mortality. Priyanka will be working with diverse members of the communities: mothers, pregnant women, community health volunteers, and healthcare providers. Since she will be engaging with both providers and beneficiaries of the intervention, she hopes that her research can shed light on the existing health issues from both sides of the health system equation. She particularly believes that her research will target women and mothers from communities that are most marginalized and would be able to help them get access to care. She hopes that the Kenyan health system would benefit hugely in understanding the disparities and accommodating the needs of their healthcare providers and users.  

Dil Singh, MPH Student, Department of Epidemiology | Philippines 

Dil is an MPH student in the Department of Epidemiology. They will be travelling to Manila, Philippines with support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship, where they will contribute to research aimed at enhancing our knowledge of HIV prevention strategies for Filipina Trans Women. Dil’s dedication lies in providing support to gender diverse communities, and Dil aims to use their privilege by higher education to address the needs of systemically marginalized communities. By becoming immersed in this community, Dil hopes to gain a comprehensive understanding of their needs and gathering relevant resources to promote the health and well-being of Filipina Trans Women. 

Melody Wang, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | South Africa 

Melody is a PhD student in the Implementation Science program in the Department of Global Health. With support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship, she will be based in Durban, South Africa investigating the impact of the Centralized Chronic Medication Dispensing and Distribution (CCMDD) program which provides access to ART for over 1.7 million people and has become the largest differentiated care program in the world. Melody hopes to use barrier prioritization methodology to better understand the barriers clients living with HIV encounter when they enroll and access differentiated care, with the ultimate goal of supporting successful implementation and scale-up of the CCMDD program to increase access to treatment.

George Wanje, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

George is a second-year PhD student in Implementation Science at the Department of Global Health. He is currently serving as a Research Assistant for an implementation cluster randomized trial of the Systems Analysis and Improvement Approach (SAIA) strategy to increase the integration of HIV prevention and treatment services in family planning clinics at program scale in Kenya. The study seeks to improve HIV counseling and testing, linkage to HIV care, and screening and linkage to PrEP through the utilization of the SAIA implementation strategy. Additionally, George will be incorporating his dissertation within the project. With support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Fellowship, George will travel to Mombasa, Kenya, where he will collaborate with the Mombasa County Department of Health Services on the training of SAIA, analyze the results of the baseline survey conducted in 180 clinics, and interpret the findings in conjunction with the local research team. Furthermore, he will utilize the opportunity to refine and contextualize his dissertation research questions focusing on the adaptations made to SAIA implementation. The study aligns with George's research interests in women's health and HIV, using implementation science strategies to improve the cascade of HIV care and treatment outcomes by integrating reproductive health services in Kenya.  

Miyuki Watanabe, DNP Student, School of Nursing | Peru 

Miyuki is a Doctor of Nursing Practice Pediatric Nurse Practitioner student in the School of Nursing. With support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship, Miyuki will travel to Iquitos, Peru, to complete her capstone project for the Graduate Certificate in Global Health Nursing. Her project will investigate barriers and facilitators to accessing healthcare in the Amazon Rainforest in Peru, aiming to expand available evidence that could help guide future policy discussions and recommendations. Iquitos is a community surrounded by the Amazon Rainforest, and healthcare access in rural communities outside of Iquitos is extremely limited. The project findings will shed light on the factors that play a crucial role in creating more inclusive and accessible healthcare systems and bring new solutions that translate into settings in the Peruvian Amazon across other low-resource areas. 

Linxuan Wu, PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology | Kenya 

Linxuan is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology. Through the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship, Linxuan will be traveling to Nairobi and Thika, Kenya, to collect data for the aim 1 of her dissertation, which aims to quantify the relationship between TDF/FTC PrEP dosages and drug levels in hair and urine among pregnant women in Kenya. Adherence plays a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness of PrEP, and measuring drug level concentrations in biospecimen is considered one of the most accurate methods for assessing adherence. However, the relationship between dosages and drug concentrations, which is needed to guide the interpretation of adherence data, has not been established yet among pregnant women. Pregnant women have often been underrepresented in early efficacy trials of biomedical interventions, including HIV PrEP, resulting in significant knowledge gaps regarding the PrEP safety and use. Linxuan hopes her work will contribute to filling these gaps by providing more evidence to support the use of PrEP among pregnant women. 

Hiwot Zewdie, PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology | Colombia 

Hiwot is a 2nd year PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, who will be traveling to Bogotá, Colombia with support from the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship. Her project is focused on neighborhood social and built environment determinants of physical activity in Bogotá, with broader interests in exploring similar relationships in other rapidly urbanizing contexts worldwide. Hiwot will join collaborators at Universidad de los Andes to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural and contextual factors that shape physical activity behaviors in Bogotá. The ultimate goal of this project is to contribute to the development of evidence-based recommendations for urban planning and policy interventions, with the aim of enhancing the overall health and well-being of communities in Bogotá and similar urban settings around the world. 

STERGACHIS ENDOWED FELLOWSHIP FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE 

Robin Klabbers, PhD Student, Department of Global Health | Uganda 

Robin is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Global Health in the Global Health Metrics and Implementation Science program. Her research is a part of the Head StART study, a cluster randomized trial taking place at health centers in refugee settlements in mid- and southwestern Uganda. The study is a collaboration between the University of Washington, the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University in Uganda, and Medical Teams International and focuses on investigating whether community antiretroviral therapy (ART) delivery can improve viral suppression among refugees newly diagnosed with HIV in refugee settlements. Currently, this form of differentiated service delivery, in which people living with HIV (PLHIV) form groups and take turns collecting the group’s HIV medication from the health center and bringing it to the others in the community, is only available to PLHIV who are “stable in care” and are already virally suppressed. Robin is interested in studying community ART delivery for refugees newly diagnosed with HIV because she hypothesizes that the social support and assistance in overcoming barriers to care that community ART delivery offers, would be especially beneficial during the time following a new HIV diagnosis. If community ART delivery is shown to be effective for this new population, this research could help inform a change in Ugandan HIV guidelines and promote early HIV care engagement in refugee settlements. 

GLOBAL MENTAL HEALTH FELLOWSHIP 

Laurén Gomez, PhD Student, Department of Epidemiology | Kenya 

Laurén is a second-year MPH student in the Department of Epidemiology and will be entering the PhD program in the Fall. Through the Global Mental Health Fellowship, Laurén will be traveling to Kisumu, Kenya where she will partner with Kenyatta National Hospital to support the implementation of neurodevelopmental assessments nested within safety evaluations of infant antiretroviral exposure (pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and dolutegravir (DTG)). The GMH Fellowship will allow her to merge her research interests and expand on the work she conducted for her thesis, where she assessed the association of prenatal PrEP exposure and perinatal and infant outcomes. Fieldwork activities will focus on capacity building through trainings and data quality systems. Results from these activities will be analyzed as part of her dissertation and will fill evidence gaps on longer-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in the context of growing DTG and PrEP use globally during pregnancy which will inform scale up in Kenya and similar countries. 

Marilyn Nyabuti, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Marilyn is an MPH student in the Department of Global Health. With support from the Global Mental Health Fellowship, Marilyn will be traveling to Homabay County in Kenya over the summer to conduct primary data collection for her thesis work. Her project aims to evaluate the loss-to-follow-up among women living with HIV in the transition from maternal and child health (MCH) clinics to comprehensive care clinics (CCC) in 3 Ministry of Health clinics in Homabay County, Kenya. Marilyn hopes to support the clinics in identifying ways they can better support mothers during the transition period to ensure optimal retention in care and better health outcomes. 

Dismas Ouma, MPH Student, Department of Global Health | Kenya 

Dismas is an MPH student in the Department of Global Health, who will travel to Kisumu, Kenya, with support from the Global Mental Health Fellowship. Dismas’ project will focus on the burden and impact of depressive symptoms on sexual risk behavior and the use of oral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis among adolescent girls and young women in Western Kenya. Understanding the burden of depression among adolescent girls seeking HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STI) preventive services is crucial in resource allocation toward incorporating mental health into HIV and STI preventive services. Integrating mental health services into HIV and STI preventive services will address the holistic needs of adolescent girls and other vulnerable groups, helping to improve their overall health outcomes and reducing the risk of HIV transmission. 

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News & events, msw graduate receives bonderman travel fellowship.

Katt Purington (MSW ’23, BASW ’22) was one of eight University of Washington students to receive the prestigious 2023 Bonderman Travel Fellowship. Purington graduated from the School of Social Work’s MSW program in spring 2023. 

Each member of the 2023 Bonderman cohort receives $23,000 to independently explore world regions for up to eight months. The broad vision of the program is to inspire individual transformation by expanding the fellows’ understanding of themselves and of the complex and interconnected world in which we live. 

Purington, who counts both Newport News, Va., and Seattle, Wash., as their hometown, has chosen to explore Japan, The Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Laos and Cambodia as part of their fellowship. “I want to look for people like me who want to celebrate their strength, pride and tenacity as a queer person,” Purington said. “People like me who have formed their own countercultures through their need to have human connection in a sometimes unkind world.” 

Administered by the University Honors Program and the Graduate School, the Bonderman program is made possible by alumnus David Bonderman, who has sponsored these life-changing journeys for nearly 30 years. In 2017, Bonderman reiterated his commitment to the program by providing a new $10 million endowment. Since 1995, 280 students have been named Bonderman fellows. 

In 2023, the Bonderman selection process was limited to graduate and professional students. The awards committee looked for applicants who demonstrated self-knowledge, interpersonal and cross-cultural skills and interests, resilience and fortitude. 

While traveling, Bonderman fellows may not participate in a program or organization, study at a foreign university, conduct research or travel with an organized group. Rather, the purpose is to introduce students to cultures, peoples and areas of the world with which they are unfamiliar.

Alum Reflects on GO-MAP and Bonderman Travel Fellowship

• Funding for Fieldwork Fellowships

The Department of Global Health manages fellowships that offer financial assistance to graduate and professional students at the University of Washington to help support in-depth fieldwork experiences in global health. 

All travel fellowship recipients must abide by all fellowship, Department of Global Health, and University of Washington policies that pertain to travel under the fellowship. Failure to do so may result in the withdrawal of a fellowship.

Warren George Povey Endowed Fund for Global Health Fellowship

The Warren George Povey Endowed Fund for Global Health Fellowship provides financial assistance of up to $4,000 to students at the University of Washington to support their travel. First preference will be given to full-time graduate students working toward a degree in the Department of Global Health, or undergraduate students enrolled in the Public Health-Global Health major or Global Health Minor. Preference will also be given to students studying or engaged in work related to maternal, reproductive and child health in low-income settings. 

The Warren George Povey Endowed Fund for Global Health Fellowship 2024-2025 application is now open. The application deadline is April 3, 2024 at 11:59pm PST. The application and instructions may be downloaded here .

Department of Global Health Fieldwork Travel Funding

The Department of Global Health offers student travel support up to $4000 to complete global health activities abroad as part student education at the University of Washington.  Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until May 1, 2024 or as funds are remaining, and should be submitted around 90 days prior to proposed travel dates.

The application is now open. The full application, including eligibility information and instructions, may be downloaded here .

DGH Travel Funding is generously supported by the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship and the Stergachis Endowed Fellowship for International Exchange. (Global Mental Health Fellowships and GO Health Fellowships are not being offered in the 2024 cycle, updates will be shared as they are available.) You can learn more about recent travel fellowship recipients here .

Stergachis Endowed Fellowship for International Exchange

The purpose of the Stergachis Endowed Fellowship for International Exchange is to promote global health by providing financial assistance to graduate or professional students who would like to work on public health projects in developing countries, preferably in Uganda.   

Robin Klabbers , PhD in Global Health Metrics and Implementation Science, Department of Global Health, 2023 Stergachis Endowed Fellowship for International Exchange recipient  

Country of travel: Uganda 

Robin’s research is a part of the Head StART study, a cluster randomized trial taking place at health centers in refugee settlements in mid- and southwestern Uganda. The study is a collaboration between the University of Washington, the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University in Uganda, and Medical Teams International and focuses on investigating whether community antiretroviral therapy (ART) delivery can improve viral suppression among refugees newly diagnosed with HIV in refugee settlements. Currently, this form of differentiated service delivery, in which people living with HIV (PLHIV) form groups and take turns collecting the group’s HIV medication from the health center and bringing it to the others in the community, is only available to PLHIV who are “stable in care” and are already virally suppressed. We are interested in studying community ART delivery for refugees newly diagnosed with HIV because we hypothesize that the social support and assistance in overcoming barriers to care that community ART delivery offers, would be especially beneficial during the time following a new HIV diagnosis. If community ART delivery is shown to be effective for this new population, this research could help inform a change in Ugandan HIV guidelines and promote early HIV care engagement in refugee settlements.

Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship

The purpose of the Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship is to promote global health by providing financial assistance to graduate or professional students who would like to gain practical global health field experience in international and/or underserved community settings. Dr. Thomas Francis, Jr. taught Dr. Jonas Salk the methodology of vaccine development, and designed and directed the Salk polio vaccine clinical trials. 

Floria Nyandaya , Global Health Master’s in Public Health, Department of Global Health, 2023 Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship recipient 

Country of travel: Nigeria 

Floria travelled to Lagos, Nigeria, to conduct a landscape analysis of diversity gaps in cancer drug clinical trials and evaluate phase III clinical trial readiness at the Marcelle Ruth Cancer Center in collaboration with Hurone AI. With a passion for improving oncology health disparities among underrepresented populations, Floria seeks to utilize digital health technologies to enhance clinical trials and augment treatment and care in resource-constrained settings. Her collaborative work will promote trial diversity, leading to more accurate and representative outcomes for approved cancer drugs in diverse settings. By leveraging machine learning, Floria's practicum aims to democratize access to affordable, equitable, and context-specific oncology care, benefiting patients in Nigeria and individuals of African descent. 

Viviana Alban , PhD in Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, 2023 Thomas Francis, Jr. Global Health Fellowship recipient 

Country of travel: Ecuador 

Viviana travelled to Quito, Ecuador, to conduct a summer project investigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns in  E. coli  strains isolated from animal fecal samples. The scientific data will constitute baseline information for her research plans and provide valuable information on AMR profiles and potential risks associated with different animal types in a low-and middle-income country. Leading this project will contribute to her growth as an early career researcher on animal-to-human AMR transmission and child health. This travel constituted an opportunity to build technical capacity in-country and to work closely with Ecuadorian undergraduate and graduate students. 

Additional Funding & Fieldwork Programs

Many Departments and Centers at the University of Washington offer fieldwork experience and some offer funding. Discover additional opportunities by visiting their websites.

DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL HEALTH

Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)

Department of Global Health Training Opportunities

Global Health Fellows Program  (Medical Students, Post Docs, Residents and MDs)

Global Health Clinical Elective (GHCE)  (Fourth-Year UW Medical Students)

Global Health Immersion Program (GHIP ) (First-Year UW Medical Students)

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) Fellowships

University of Washington

Bonderman Travel Fellowship

Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Compiled List of Opportunities

Comparative History Ideas: International Programs (CHID International)

Exploration Seminars

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)

Global Business Center at UW Foster School of Business

GO (Global Opportunities)! Global Scholarships

Graduate School Fund for Excellence and Innovation

Graduate Student Travel Awards

Grants and Funding Information Service (GFIS)

The Graduate School Office of Fellowships & Assistantships

Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program

IE3 Global Internships

International Programs & Exchanges

Jackson School of International Studies (endowed funding opportunities for internships)

National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate and Undergraduate Scholarships

Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards (OMSFA)

Population Leadership Program

School of Nursing International Programs

Non-University of Washington

American Medical Student Association (AMSA) International Health Opportunities Directory  (Medical Students) 

American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene  (See  Benjamin Kean Fellowship )

Beyond the Biologic Basis of Disease: The Social and Economic Causation of Illness, a social medicine immersion experience in northern Uganda  (Medical Students)

Child Family Health International (CFHI)  (Pre-Health Science and Medical Students)

Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE)

Critical Language Scholarship

Fulbright Program

Global Health Corps

NIH Global Health Fellows Program

USAID Global Health Fellows Program (GHFP)

Himalayan Health Exchange  (Medical and Dental Students and Residents)

Institute for International Medicine (INMED)  (Medical Students and Residents)

Mayan Medical Aid  (Medical and Dental Students)

Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship

Multidisciplinary International Research Training Program (MIRT)

Lambarene Schweitzer Fellows Program

Samuel Huntington Public Service Award

School for International Training (SIT)

Seattle Community College Global Impact Project

STEER Program

Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs  Fellowship

Tropical Disease Research Program in Equador 2012

U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Opportunities

Travel Preparation

Information on UW administrative processes for global travel, education and research can be found on the  Office of Global Affairs  website. Please consult your program, department, or school for their specific requirements including orientations or documentation.

OANDA,  FXConverter (Foreign Exchange Currency Converter) is a multi-lingual currency converter with up to date exchange rates provided from leading market data contributors and is filtered for validity. Get exchange rates for 164 currencies.

University of Washington  Hall Health Travel Clinic  offers pre-travel counseling, immunizations, and health advice for adults and children who are planning to travel out of the U.S. or Canada. The clinic is a Washington State Department of Health-designated center for yellow fever vaccine. Pre-travel consultations are available by appointment. Travelers will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding travel plans. It is important to bring all immunization records available. Because several weeks may be required to complete a needed vaccine series, we recommend the initial appointment be held at least 4 weeks before departure. You should telephone for an appointment two weeks before that, if possible. When this is not possible, the clinic will meet your travel health needs as completely as the time allows.

Additional clinic locations are listed on the  UW Medicine Travel Medicine  page.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention Traveler's Health  Health information for specific destinations and what to know before you depart.

The UW Department of Global Health has compiled a  sexual misconduct resource guide  for students that provides information on organizations that assist UW students and employees who have experienced sexual misconduct if they are in the US or abroad. The  UW Office of the Title IX Coordinator  also has excellent resources.

A comprehensive list of insurance for UW staff and faculty can be found through the  Global Operations Support . For UW students traveling abroad on official UW programs, please see information on  Study Abroad Insurance . For international visitors to the UW, visit the International Students and Scholars " Other Insurance " page.

Travel Registration

For students traveling with UW programs, contact  UW Study Abroad  for the University of Washington travel registry, For individual students, staff, and faculty traveling abroad on UW official business, contact the International Travel and Security Manager, Pascal Schuback,  [email protected] . 

WITH THE US STATE DEPARTMENT

For US Citizens, register your travel with the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program . When you sign up, you will automatically receive the most current information we compile about the country where you will be traveling or living.  You will also receive updates, including  Travel Warnings  and  Travel Alerts  (where appropriate).

For non-US Citizens travelling abroad, please contact your embassy for travel registration and documentation for international travel.

PASSPORTS, DOCUMENTS AND VISA INFORMATION

U.S. Department of State, Consular Services Passports, visas and consulate information for U.S. citizens and citizens of foreign countries. Also includes information about international law and policy. To find out more information about traveling safely abroad visit the  U.S. State Department Students Abroad page .

July 20, 2020

2020 Graduates Selected for UW Bonderman Travel Fellowship

The University of Washington has announced that 2020 Evans School graduates Elizabeth Esborn and Channing Nesbitt were among sixteen students selected for the 2020 Bonderman Fellowship. As Bonderman Travel Fellows, Elizabeth and Channing will be provided the rare opportunity to spend eight months independently exploring two regions and six countries with which they are not familiar.

This year, a new cohort of Bonderman Fellows was selected during unusual and difficult times. While UW Bonderman travel is currently on hiatus, the intention and spirit of the Bonderman Fellowship – to get to know other people and cultures, to go beyond one’s comfort zone, and to see the world as bigger and more complex than before – are especially relevant now.  While we don’t know when the 2020 fellows will be able to travel, we look forward to seeing what they make of this unique opportunity.

The broad vision of the Bonderman Fellowship is to inspire individual transformation by expanding fellows’ understanding of themselves and the complex, diverse, and interconnected world we live in. With this vision in mind, each fellow shapes their own learning and travel plan; though, they may not pursue academic study, projects, or research.

Elizabeth has crafted her itinerary with the goal of exploring local governance and infrastructure, both formal and informal, in other cultures. As a policy student invested in building more responsive, inclusive, and accountable community governance systems, Elizabeth is excited to learn more about how communities outside of the U.S. approach these goals.

Channing’ s desire to obtain a deeper understanding of human connection has been his main inspiration for pursuing this fellowship. Channing’s areas of interest within this idea focus on healing, belief and redemption. Having the intention of complete immersion within the different communities in which he travels, he looks to discover and define his own story within these contexts. One overarching question that he has is: “how can we digest our own unique experience to better understand the universality that binds us together?”

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UW Tacoma student earns $20,000 travel fellowship

Arabie Jaloway will travel to eight countries in eight months with a 2007 Bonderman Travel Fellowship.

On June 15, UW Tacoma student Arabie Jaloway will depart for the adventure of a lifetime.

Eight months. Eight countries. No professors, no coursework and no college credit—just intense immersion in the languages, cultures and environments of the world.

Jaloway, of Puyallup, is one of six University of Washington undergraduate students to earn a 2007 Bonderman Travel Fellowship. Created through a gift from 1963 UW graduate David Bonderman, the fellowship provides $20,000 for travel, with a few strings attached. Students must travel alone for at least eight months, cannot return to the United States at any time during their trip and cannot do anything academic while abroad or earn college credit for their travel.

"I'm really looking forward to a sense of discovery on this trip," Jaloway says. "I know I'm not just discovering the world — I'll be discovering myself."

The Bonderman Fellowship was created to foster independence, introduce students to new cultures and promote open-mindedness and understanding of the global community through transformative travel experiences. Jaloway was chosen as part of a rigorous application process in which applicants are considered based on integrity, capacity for vision and leadership and potential for humane and effective participation in the global community. Finalists were required to submit detailed travel proposals and submit to an extensive interview.

Jaloway, a junior in UW Tacoma's Environmental Science and Global Honors programs, will visit endangered national parks and ecosystems in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Java, India, China, Australia and New Zealand. She plans to backpack and stay in hostels and looks forward to learning about a wide variety of traditions.

"It's kind of terrifying to go into a place where you don't speak the language, don't know the culture and don't know how to eat the food," she says. "I don't think you can experience something like that without becoming a better person."

Claudia Gorbman, director of the Global Honors Program, says Jaloway is a remarkable student who is deeply committed to changing the world for the better.

"She is truly a force to be reckoned with," she said. "We are excited to see her earn this wonderful opportunity to do nothing but follow her dreams and learn intensively about the world for the better part of a year."

Jaloway is pushing back her anticipated graduation date by at least three months to accommodate the trip. Her three children, ages 4 to 9, will be cared for by their father while she travels. She hopes a new, global perspective on life will open doors to a career in environmental policy and ethics.

"It's going to be rough, especially leaving my kids," she said. "But I don't know that I've ever done anything worth doing that wasn't rough."

Jaloway graduated from Pierce College Fort Steilacoom last June and earned one of UW Tacoma's prestigious Next Step scholarships, given to top transfer students from each of the university's seven partner community colleges. She is a student in UW Tacoma's Global Honors Program, which offers highly motivated UW Tacoma students a way to broaden their education by applying global perspectives and international experiences to their coursework.

Of more than a hundred applicants, three of the 20 finalists for the Bonderman Fellowship were UW Tacoma Global Honors students, according to Gorbman. The other two finalists from UW Tacoma were junior Jeff Eck of Allyn, also a 2006 Next Step Scholar, and senior Whitney Rhodes of Tacoma, both students in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program. This is the first year UW Tacoma students applied for the fellowship.

"This is an indication of how bright and competitive our Global Honors students are," she said. "My hat is off to all three of the finalists, who all performed wonderfully in a field of absolutely brilliant and deserving candidates."

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UW Psychology Student Wins National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

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Institutional Communications Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137 Laramie, WY 82071 Phone: (307) 766-2929 Email:   [email protected]

Published April 23, 2024

University of Wyoming psychology graduate student Jaylan Aliev, of Boise, Idaho, has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.

As a second-year graduate student in the psychology and law Ph.D. program, Aliev’s research interests include juror perceptions of marginalized victims, how these perceptions affect legal decision-making and how to mitigate juror biases.

“Child sexual abuse is a national health crisis, and the process of seeking justice for victims can often be retraumatizing,” Aliev says. “Countless child sexual abuse narratives do not follow the popular culture prototype that suggests victims are young girls and perpetrators middle-aged men, and it is important to investigate how older or male victims of child sexual abuse are treated in the legal system -- and how such demographic factors may influence mock juror decision-making in these cases.”

Aliev’s current work examines the impact of victim physical maturity on legal decision-making in cases of child sexual abuse. Her secondary line of research focuses on analyzing racial, socioeconomic, geographic and policy disparities in the U.S. juvenile legal system.

“Receiving the news that I was a 2024 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship awardee felt like a dream,” she says. “I am a first-generation high school and college graduate, as well as first-generation American. My initial thought was, ‘Things like this don’t happen to people like me.’”

In May, Aliev will graduate with her master’s degree in psychology, and she looks forward to beginning her graduate fellowship research plans.

“As I have gained more experience working with community partners, I have become extremely interested in disseminating psycho-legal research in a way that informs public policy and aims to improve our current criminal legal system,” she says.

After earning her Ph.D., she hopes to continue her work at a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization as a researcher or data analyst.

“It still has not fully sunk in that my application was one of the 2,000 that was selected as a recipient out of tens of thousands of applications,” Aliev says. “I immediately started crying and then called my adviser, Kayla Burd (UW assistant professor of psychology), and my parents.”

To learn more about Aliev’s research, email her at [email protected] .

Wisconsin Badgers

Women's Track & Field April 24, 2024 Jenna Statz

Five things to know: Badgers gear up for busy weekend

Wisconsin travels to philadelphia and austin.

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's track and field team continues its outdoor season this weekend. The team will travel to Philadelphia to participate in the Penn Relays and Austin for the Texas Invitational. Events will begin on Thursday and run through Saturday. 

Fans can follow live results on Twitter and Instagram @BadgerTrackXC. 

Here are five things to know before this weekend.

1. MIDDLE DISTANCE MAYHEM: A strong field of middle-distance runners will compete at the Penn Relays. Graduate student Victoria Heiligenthal will lead the group in the 1500 meters. Heiligenthal is coming off a 10th-place finish in the 800 meters, running a personal best time of 2:09.27. Freshman Ruby Madden will also make an appearance in the 1500 meters. She competed at the Wake Forest Invitational last weekend with an eighth-place showing, finishing with a personal best time of 4:27.49. 

2. DISTANCE WATCH: The Badgers will have a large field of competitors in the 5000 meters on Friday. Samantha Stieve , Vivian Hacker , Shea Ruhly , Carolyn Shult , and Isabella Jacobsen will all compete in the event, Shult is coming off a personal best time in the event, while Stieve will compete in her first meet of the 2024 season.  

3. ADDING A SPARK: Sprint star Kiley Robbins will compete in the 100-meter dash and the 200 meters this weekend. She is coming off a win in the 100 meters, crossing in 11.37 seconds at the Cerritos Invitational. Robbins is ranked No.4 in the Big Ten in the 100 meters, with a season-best time of 11.29 seconds. She will be joined by Sydney Robinson . 

4. THROWING DOWN WITH THE BADGERS: UW throwers will compete in Austin this weekend.  Graduate student Olivia Roberts will compete in the hammer throw this weekend, along with teammates Danni Langseth , Chikere Oduocha , and Abby Peeler . Roberts ranks second all-time at UW with a personal best mark of 209 feet, 9 inches (63.93m). 

Redshirt sophomore Danni Langseth will also compete in the discus throw and shot put. Two weekends ago at the Beach Invitational, she picked up a fourth-place finish in the shot put. Langseth threw for a personal best distance of 53-11 ¾ (16.45m), moving her up to sixth on UW's All-Time performance list

5. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Badger Challenge will take place on Friday, May 3. Field Events will begin at 1 p.m., and running events at 3 p.m. at McClimon Track/Soccer Complex.  

Players Mentioned

Vivian Hacker

Victoria Heiligenthal

Danni Langseth

Chikere Oduocha

Abby Peeler

Kiley Robbins

Olivia Roberts

Samantha Stieve

Sydney Robinson

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• International

Pro-Palestinian protests continue at colleges across the US

By Dalia Faheid, Nouran Salahieh, Maureen Chowdhury and Antoinette Radford, CNN

Screaming and scuffles between opposing protest groups at UCLA after demonstrators cross barrier

From CNN’s Sarah Moon and Camila Bernal at UCLA

Demonstrators on Sunday   breached a security barrier meant to keep opposing protest groups apart on the UCLA campus, and the two sides have come   face-to-face, at times screaming at one another and shoving back and forth.

A CNN team is on the ground watching the crowd, where pro-Palestinian demonstrators have gathered to support an  encampment protesting Israel's military campaign  in Gaza, and a group of counter-protesters draped in Israeli flags has erected a video screen and speaker set-up.

“Very high passions on both sides, and when these two come together we have seen confrontations,” CNN’s Camila Bernal reported from the campus. “People who are screaming at each other, sometimes shoving and pushing, and it does get violent at times.”

Organizers from each group have told Bernal that they are trying to keep the peace.

The CNN team has seen police officers in riot gear standing at a distance   from the crowd, but university officials have said police will not intervene unless they feel students are in harm’s way.

The school’s vice chancellor for strategic communications, Mary Osako, confirmed in a statement that demonstrators had “breached” a barrier between the groups, and that there were “physical altercations” between protesters.

“UCLA has a long history of being a place of peaceful protest, and we are heartbroken about the violence that broke out,” the statement reads.

Information about any potential injuries has not been made available.

This post has been updated with additional reporting from the UCLA campus.

Students remain in encampment blocking a street at George Washington University for 4th day of protests

From CNN’s Avery Lotz

Pro-Palestinian protests continued Sunday on George Washington University’s campus in Washington, DC, where students have erected an encampment of dozens of tents in a park and on the neighboring street.

A crowd of demonstrators has chanted “Free Palestine” to the beat of a drum on H Street NW, some of them wearing traditional keffiyeh and waving Palestinian flags. The street remains blocked by law enforcement, and a number of DC Metropolitan Police officers remain in the area.

Flags, signs and sidewalk chalk decorate the encampment, where protestors say they will stay until the university fulfills their demands, which include disclosing its financial endowments and divesting from Israeli associations — similar to the message of many other college protests nationwide. 

One counter-protester walked through the crowd with an Israeli flag draped around her shoulders. Demonstrators chanted, “Free, free, free Palestine,” at the protester, while one held a sign that read, “Genocide is bad.” 

Sanders says it's not antisemitic to hold Israeli government accountable for its actions in Gaza

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders pushed back on  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim  that protests on US college campuses are driven by antisemitism, telling CNN’s Dan Bash that it’s critical to hold the Israeli government accountable for its actions in Gaza.

In the interview on Sunday morning , Sanders said the “vast majority of the American people are disgusted with Netanyahu’s war machine in Gaza” and do not want more aid sent to Israel.

While Sanders said he acknowledges “antisemitism exists and is growing in the United States,” he said it is not antisemitic for protesters to hold Netanyahu accountable for his actions in Gaza, which he says are “unprecedented in the modern history of warfare.”

Sanders said Israel's widespread destruction of homes and infrastructure in Gaza, and the death toll of more than 30,000 people , according to the enclave's health ministry, is the reason people want the Israeli government held accountable.

Sanders said he condemns Hamas, antisemitism, Islamophobia and other forms of bigotry, but emphasized again, “We do have to pay attention to the disastrous and unprecedented humanitarian disaster taking place in Gaza right now.”

Watch a clip from the interview below:

Portland State University says it will pause gifts and grants from Boeing amid campus protests

From CNN’s Chris Boyette

Portland State University will pause receiving gifts and grants from the Boeing Company until the college holds a forum to debate the ethics of doing so, according to the school's president.

The move comes amid nationwide protests, including at PSU, against Israel's war in Gaza. Student organizations are calling for schools to cut ties with Israel and to divest from companies that sell weapons, tech and other items to the country, among other demands.

Boeing says on its website that the Israel Defense Forces currently operates nine different Boeing products, and the company contributes a $3.5 billion benefit to the Israeli economy.

"I have heard many students and faculty express that they would like to see PSU cut ties with the company. I initially found these demands confusing and arbitrary: PSU has no investments in Boeing but accepts philanthropic gifts from the company and, given that Boeing is a major employer in the region, many of our alumni work there,” PSU President Ann Cudd said in  a letter to the campus community  Friday.

“However, the passion with which these demands are being repeatedly expressed by some in our community motivates me, as a scholar of academic ethics and a university leader responsible for the well being of our campus constituents, to listen and ask additional questions,” Cudd said.

Cudd said PSU will host a two-hour moderated debate in May with faculty and students. 

On its website,  Boeing says  its relationship with Israel dates back "more than 75 years — to the founding of the State of Israel."

Boeing declined to comment on Cudd’s announcement.

LA Mayor Bass stands by USC's decision to cancel its main commencement ceremony

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says the decision by University of Southern California leaders to cancel the school's main commencement ceremony  for 2024 graduating students in May was necessary due to safety concerns.

“I believe that that was a decision that they had to make," Bass told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday.

"They were expecting about 65,000 people on campus and they just did not feel that it was going to be safe, and the job of the (university) president, just like my job as mayor — my number one job is to make sure that Angelenos are safe."

The mayor,  herself a USC alumna , pointed out that while the main ceremony had been canceled, individual schools and departments will go forward with their own ceremonies.

Some context : A USC professor who has  criticized the school's response  to pro-Palestinian protests told CNN on Saturday that the university's initial decision to  cancel its valedictorian's commencement speech served as a catalyst for demonstrations at the Los Angeles campus.

Asna Tabassum, a first-generation South Asian-American Muslim, said in a statement published by the Council on American-Islamic Relations that she has "serious doubts about whether USC’s decision to revoke my invitation to speak is made solely on the basis of safety."

CAIR has accused the school of canceling Tabassum's speech in response to "attacks and harassment launched by anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian extremists."

The school announced it was canceling the main commencement ceremony altogether on Friday, days after the decision to cancel the valedictorian speech.

CNN’s Amanda Musa, Alisha Ebrahimji and Melissa Alonso contributed reporting to this post.

Here are some of the latest comments from elected officials on the protests happening across the US

Several US lawmakers and other elected officials have spoken in media appearances Sunday about the protests seen across the country in response to Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell criticized what he said was antisemitic rhetoric seen in the protests, saying on CBS that "university presidents need to get control of the situation, allow free speech and push back against antisemitism."

“We’ve all got to get serious about the challenges ahead of us, engaging in antisemitic behavior in the United States needs to be stood up to by the administrators of these colleges,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin also condemned instances of antisemitic rhetoric, and said Virginia wouldn't allow protest encampments to be put up at its academic institutions.

“We will protect the ability to peacefully express yourself, but we’re not going to have the kinds of hate speech and intimidation that we’re seeing across the country in Virginia,” the governor told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, meanwhile, pushed back against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s suggestion that the National Guard could be sent to college campuses amid the protests, calling it a “very, very bad idea.”

“I think calling in the National Guard to college campuses for so many people would recall what happened when that was done during the Vietnam War — and it didn’t end well,” Kaine said on “Meet the Press.”

“There are other ways, using campus security, but also offering students more opportunities to have dialogue that is civil and constructive where people hear one another — that’s by far preferable,” he added. 

Students in Gaza stage demonstration to express gratitude for pro-Palestinian protests at US colleges

From Tareq Alhelou in Rafah and CNN’s Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman and Zeena Saifi in Jerusalem 

Dozens of Palestinian students staged a display of solidarity at a demonstration in southern Gaza on Sunday to express gratitude for the support seen on US college campuses in recent weeks.  

Video from the Shaboura refugee camp in Rafah shows children holding banners with messages that read: "Students of Columbia University, continue to stand by us,” and “Violating our right to education and life is a war crime.”   

The students gathered around makeshift tents near a school that now serves as a shelter for Palestinians displaced from northern Gaza. Footage shows people spray-painting messages of gratitude on the fabric of the tents, saying “Thank you, students in solidarity with Gaza. Your message has reached.”

Takfeer Abu-Yousuf, a displaced student from the northern city of Beit Hanoun, told CNN he felt it was necessary to thank the students in the US who “supported us with their humanity.”

“We can’t write these thank you messages on the walls of our homes because we have no homes. They have been destroyed on top of our children, elders and women,” he said.  

Eighteen-year-old Rana Al-Taher pointed to the school in the camp, telling CNN that what should have been a place for learning and education has become a place for sheltering.   

“That means that we have lost our education. We have lost our only hope in Gaza and we want it back. We’re here to ask for it back. It’s our right to have it back … that’s why we’re here,” she said.

Read the full story here.

Universities are cracking down after months of student protests over Israel’s bombardment of Gaza

From CNN's Dakin Andone

With tension mounting over an encampment in support of Palestinians at  New York’s Columbia University , police strode onto campus this month and arrested more than 100 demonstrators.

Soon, dozens more students protesting the monthslong assault on Gaza were arrested at  New York and Yale  universities. At the  University of Texas at Austin , police in riot gear and on horseback moved to disperse a like-minded demonstration, while nearly 100 at the  University of Southern California  also got arrested. Then at  Emory University in Atlanta , law enforcement deployed pepper balls to break up a pro-Palestinian action, arresting 28, including several  professors . And at  Boston’s Emerson College , another 108 protesters were arrested, with four officers hurt.

While the latest run of arrests has commanded outsized attention, US colleges have been using law enforcement — along with academic suspensions and, for at least one school, expulsion — to try   to   rein in student demonstrations since  Hamas’ October attack on Israel  left more than 1,200 dead and dozens taken hostage. Israel’s devastating counterpunch in Gaza – with more than 34,000 Palestinians killed, according to its health ministry – has further fueled deeply held views of students and faculty on all sides.

Amid US students’ broad insistence their tactics are peaceful, administrators often have decried campus protests as disruptive, with some — including at  Indiana University,   George Washington University  and  California State Polytechnic  University’s Humboldt campus — employing school rules governing use of public spaces to threaten or enact discipline, or call for police backup.

Administrators lately have seemed quicker to levy consequences against campus demonstrators than they were six months ago, according to Zach Greenberg of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Read more about the crackdown here.

Vandalism reported at USC is "absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated," university says

From CNN’s Paradise Afshar

The University of Southern California says campus property was vandalized Saturday "by individuals who are part of the group that has continued to illegally camp on our campus."

The Tommy Trojan statue and a fountain in Alumni Park were vandalized, the university said, without elaborating on the type of damage they sustained. University officials also did not state what led them to believe the perpetrators were among those taking part in encampment demonstrations.

Video footage from CNN affiliate  KABC  showed the words “Say No to Genocide” spray-painted on the base of the Tommy Trojan statue.

“Despite repeated warnings, this group has also continued to disrupt our campus operations and harass students and others, in violation of numerous university policies,” Joel Curran, senior vice president of communications, said in a statement.

"While the university fully supports freedom of expression, these acts of vandalism and harassment are absolutely unacceptable and will not be tolerated," Curran said.

University President Carol Folt has made attempts to meet with students, “but they have declined these offers,” Curran said.

“We are hoping for a more reasonable response Sunday before we are forced to take further action,” he said. “This area is needed for commencement set up early this week.” 

Remember: Demonstrators at universities across the country have organized in protest of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza , in many cases calling on the schools to disinvest from Israeli institutions and other entities they say benefit from the war.

A USC professor who has criticized the school's response to protests told CNN on Saturday that the university's decision to cancel its Muslim valedictorian's commencement speech , citing safety concerns, served as a catalyst for demonstrations at the Los Angeles campus.

This post has been updated with additional information about the protests at USC.

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Dubai plans to move its busy international airport to a $35 billion new facility within 10 years

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, will move its operations to the city-state’s second, sprawling airfield in its southern desert reaches “within the next 10 years” in a project worth nearly $35 billion, its ruler said Sunday.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s announcement marks the latest chapter in the rebound of its long-haul carrier Emirates after the coronavirus pandemic grounded international travel. Plans have been on the books for years to move the operations of the airport known as DXB to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central which had also been delayed by the repercussions of the sheikhdom’s 2009 economic crisis.

“We are building a new project for future generations, ensuring continuous and stable development for our children and their children in turn,” Sheikh Mohammed said in an online statement. “Dubai will be the world’s airport, its port, its urban hub and its new global center.”

The announcement included computer-rendered images of curving, white terminal reminiscent of the traditional Bedouin tents of the Arabian Peninsula. The airport will include five parallel runways and 400 aircraft gates, the announcement said. The airport now has just two runways, like Dubai International Airport.

The financial health of the carrier Emirates has served as a barometer for the aviation industry worldwide and the wider economic health of this city-state. Dubai and the airline rebounded quickly from the pandemic by pushing forward with tourism even as some countries more slowly came out of their pandemic crouch.

The number of passengers flying through DXB surged last year beyond its total for 2019 with 86.9 million passengers. Its 2019 annual traffic was 86.3 million passengers. The airport had 89.1 million passengers in 2018 — its busiest-ever year before the pandemic, while 66 million passengers passed through in 2022.

Earlier in February, Dubai announced its best-ever tourism numbers, saying it hosted 17.15 million international overnight visitors in 2023. Average hotel occupancy stood at around 77%. Its boom-and-bust real estate market remains on a hot streak , nearing all-time high valuations.

But as those passenger numbers skyrocketed, it again put new pressure on the capacity of DXB, which remains constrained on all sides by residential neighborhoods and two major highways.

Al Maktoum International Airport, some 45 kilometers (28 miles) away from DXB, opened in 2010 with one terminal. It served as a parking lot for Emirates’ double-decker Airbus A380s and other aircraft during the pandemic and slowly has come back to life with cargo and private flights in the time since. It also hosts the biennial Dubai Air Show and has a vast, empty desert in which to expand.

The announcement by Sheikh Mohammed noted Dubai’s plans to expand further south. Already, its nearby Expo 2020 site has been offering homes for buyers.

“As we build an entire city around the airport in Dubai South, demand for housing for a million people will follow,” Dubai’s ruler said. “It will host the world’s leading companies in the logistics and air transport sectors.”

However, financial pressures have halted the move in the past. Dubai’s 2009 financial crisis, brought on by the Great Recession, forced Abu Dhabi to provide the city-state with a $20 billion bailout.

Meanwhile, the city-state is still trying to recover after the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the UAE , which disrupted flights and commerce for days.

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In Her Own Words: E. Kika De La Garza Fellow Finds Purpose in Motivating the Next Generation

Since 1998, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recognized highly accomplished staff and faculty at Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Hispanic-Serving School Districts through E. Kika De La Garza Fellowships . Participants travel to Washington, D.C. to meet with leaders at USDA agencies and learn about opportunities available to their respective institutions and students.

Syndia Nazario-Cardona, acting chancellor/associate VP of government affairs and community relations at Ana G. Mendez University in Florida, describes how her experience is helping her to support the next generation and make a difference in the educational realm.

My goal is to empower students with valuable information to help them succeed academically and professionally. Thanks to my experience as an E. Kika de la Garza Fellow, I have more information on opportunities for students and professionals in various fields that go beyond what most think is available through USDA.

The E. Kika De La Garza Education Fellowship enabled me to meet with specialized professionals and obtain first-hand information about USDA services and programs, as well as educational resources and opportunities for our university community.

The most rewarding aspect of my experience has been the opportunity to contribute to the development and advancement of higher education initiatives, particularly those supporting minority students. Since the fellowship, I have had the opportunity to describe to the president of my institution how USDA programs can strengthen the mission of the university. I have also presented the benefits and scope of the fellowship to students and faculty to encourage their participation, emphasizing the importance of applying for scholarships, internships and other opportunities within the Department. By disseminating this knowledge, I have been able to contribute to the enhancement of curriculum design and grant development and support student success.

Being able to share knowledge and ideas with colleagues, professors, academic committees and the wider community has allowed me to play a role in creating a positive impact within the educational landscape.

Additionally, forming professional relationships with other fellows has been enriching, as it has provided a platform for potential collaboration and the exchange of ideas. These collaborations could benefit not only the institutions we represent but also the broader educational community.

Having the ability to share this information with colleagues, students and community members has been immensely gratifying. Overall, my experience as an EKDLG Fellow has allowed me to make meaningful contributions to higher education while also fostering collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and positive change within the academic community.

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