Christopher “Kit” Bond (center) congratulated the latest class of Bond International Scholars at a ceremony at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The awardees included University of Missouri–Columbia students (from left) Grace Miller, an agricultural education major; John Lane-Watson, a music major; and UMSL students Lauren Huebner, a biology major; and Nicole Newman, a modern languages and international studies major. Each earned $5,000 to put toward opportunities to study abroad. (Photos by August Jennewein)

University of Missouri–St. Louis students Lauren Huebner and Nicole Newman were honored as part of the four-member fall 2019 class of Bond International Scholars during a reception Wednesday at the Millennium Student Center.

The Bond International Scholars program, launched last year, provides full-time students and graduate students at UMSL and the University of Missouri–Columbia with the opportunity to earn $5,000 toward opportunities to study abroad.

The program is named for Christopher “Kit” Bond, a native Missourian who served two terms as the state’s governor and four terms in the U.S. Senate. The award stems from an endowment created by Bond’s friends upon his retirement in 2010.

Bond, UMSL Interim Chancellor and provost Kristin Sobolik and George T. Sipos, the university’s senior international officer and executive director of UMSL Global, were on hand for the reception. Jim Spain, the vice provost for undergraduate studies at MU and Tim Nowak, executive director of World Trade Center St. Louis, also gave remarks before the scholarships were awarded.

Here is more information about the UMSL awardees:

Lauren Huebner is a biology major from rural Wisconsin and will spend one semester studying at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Huebner said she applied for the scholarship because she wanted to become a more global citizen and to immerse herself in a different culture. She also hopes to gain a better understanding of what her degree and future career involves in a different part of the world.

“The Bond International Scholarship will allow me to study abroad without the burden of high costs and the stress of working extra hours to fund my trip,” Huebner said. “With this scholarship, I will be able to more fully enjoy my time abroad and make the most of my trip.”

Nicole Newman is double majoring in modern languages with a focus on Spanish and international relations. The St. Louis native will study at the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU in Barcelona, Spain, for one semester. Newman has always dreamed of studying abroad in Spain and becoming fluent enough to live in a Spanish-speaking country.

“The Bond International Scholarship will help me further my passion for learning other languages and to become immersed in a culture different from my own,” Newman said. “Living in a Spanish-speaking country will help me develop my speaking abilities in ways that American classroom experiences are unable to cover.”

For more information about the Bond International Scholars program, contact UMSL Global’s Education Abroad Programs at 314-516-5753.