Congratulations to our 2019 scholarship awardees.

Our 2019 AAFSW Merit Scholarship Winners

Isaac Yang Burkhalter
Isaac Burkhalter, the son of Edward and Susan Burkhalter, was born in Singapore, and has lived in Uzbekistan, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Japan. Isaac graduated from Saint Maur International School in Yokohama, Japan, in June 2017. He is currently a rising junior studying aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia.

Alexander Toyryla
Alexander Toyryla, the son of Michael and Kendra Toyryla, is a rising sophomore at The College of William and Mary majoring in Physics with a Mathematics minor. He graduated from the International Community School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with a full IB Diploma. He has lived in Laos, China, South Africa, Brazil, and the U.S.

Our 2019 Twice-Exceptional Merit Scholarship Winners:

Peter Banks, the son of Jared and Laura Banks, has lived in Mozambique, Brazil, Poland, and Switzerland. After high school graduation, he took a gap year and volunteered with the American Conservation Experience through AmeriCorps and worked on many projects across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. He is currently studying economics and math at George Mason University.
2) Our second winner could not be present at the ceremony to receive his award, but his award was sent by mail. He just graduated from a science-oriented high school after 5 years back at home in the U.S. During his 11 years overseas in Europe and Asia, he learned three new languages. He is trying to find time to take foreign language classes at the technical institute he’ll be attending this fall, and he plans to spend a term abroad the following year. This summer, he will complete a software engineering internship at a local tech firm and, hopefully, release some programming-related side projects.

Judy Felt Memorial Volunteerism Scholarship Awardee: Abigail Wollam

The daughter of Michelle and Park Wollam, Abby is a senior at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a double major in History and Political Science and a concentration in International Relations. She has lived overseas while her family served in Guinea, Tunisia, Croatia, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, and Nigeria. They will soon be relocating to serve in New Delhi, India. Abby’s life has been enriched by a variety of volunteer activities such as working with the Chiedza Support Group for HIV kids in Zimbabwe, building and fundraising for Habitat for Humanity, food waste recovery, and assisting in therapeutic horseback riding lessons.

2019 AAFSW Best Essay Award Winner: Grace Thompson
The daughter of Dean and Jane Thompson, Grace Thompson is a junior pursuing a B.A. in linguistics at Miami University of Ohio. At Miami University, Grace works as a consultant at the Howe Writing Center, assisting undergraduate and graduate students across a variety of disciplines. She also gives presentations facilitating peer editing and the writing process. Grace has been the recipient of several creative writing awards and scholarships.