2023 Winners
Jaxon Kimberly
Jaxon is a 7th grader at Liberty Middle School in Madison where he plays basketball and baseball and is a member of the SGA, FCA, Honor Society and Math Team- a true Renaissance man! Jaxon will be traveling to Iceland on a science based student trip. There he will visit Reykjavik, the Blue Lagoon, glaciers, volcanic craters, waterfalls, caves and geothermal areas. He will also experience a whale watching excursion, meet with oceanographers and visit a geothermal power plant. In his essay Jaxon writes that he admired Ian’s quest for adventure and that he aspires to work hard academically so that he can one day plan exciting travel itineraries and see the world with family and friends. We think that this trip, his first time outside of the country, will be a great start to a lifetime of adventure!
Brianna Holder
Brianna is a UA graduate student on a STEM to MBA path. She completed her undergraduate degree in microbiology in just two years and is on track to complete her MBA studies in her third year! She will be heading to Tanzania this summer to participate with other students and local leaders in a reverse innovation project that will assist local populations in creating solutions to problematic healthcare issues. She is passionate about using her knowledge to help low income communities globally and in the US to create better healthcare systems. While in Tanzania, Brianna plans to visit Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Moshi, Marangu and the Serengeti National Park.
Rina Mori
Sarah Mori
Rina is a 6th grader at Liberty Middle School and Sarah is in 5th grade at Columbia Elementary. These sisters will be traveling together to London on a middle school STEM based trip. Both girls are active at their schools participating in Student Council, Science Academy and Drama clubs. They have both won Reflections Art contests - a shared characteristic with Ian. Obviously sending both girls on this trip is tough for a family financially and we are so happy to assist them with this adventure! While on tour, the girls will visit the sites of London and participate in numerous STEM activities such as code breaking, visiting Stonehenge and the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, where they will stand on the Prime Meridian Line. Rina, a Harry Potter fan, writes that she is excited to visit the country that created great scientists that she has studied about such as Sir Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawkins and Charles Darwin. Sarah says that although she is a bit anxious to travel so far without her parents, she doesn’t want to miss this adventure with her big sister. We love the courage and determination of these two young girls who desire to explore the world and experience it together!
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Dalton Goodson
Dalton is a sophomore from the University of Alabama, pursuing a major in accounting with a minor in French. He will be traveling to France where he will be taking two French language courses in Paris and Tours. Dalton is from a small community and this will be his first time traveling abroad and the first in his family to do so. In his essay he talked about his excitement while waiting in a long line to apply for his passport, sharing that he has rarely traveled outside of the state of Alabama. He writes that this trip feels like a victory for him, as he wasn’t even sure that college would be a financial possibility, let alone a study abroad summer! We are confident that Paris will not disappoint!
Kaitlyn Hemauer
Kaitlyn is a Senior physics and math major at the University of AL who will graduate in the spring and continue her studies pursuing an MBA Stem Path in her study abroad program, UA in Asia: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. She has worked many jobs during her college career to help with costs. She is a member of Delta Gamma and the Founder and President of Women in Physics and Astronomy. She also volunteers as a mentor for incoming freshmen and underprivileged school children in Tuscaloosa. This will be her first time traveling abroad and she will be visiting Ho Chi Minh, taking an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay, taking a Tai Chi class and visiting many temples in Cambodia. We are so very honored to assist such a hard working and deserving young woman.
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Katherine Curd
Katherine is a Junior accounting major from the University of Alabama. She is a Presidential Scholar who works a part time job and is an active member of Beta Alpha Psi. Katherine will be traveling to Athens, Greece and Paris, France where she will be taking a course in International Finance Reporting. Her group will also be taking some excursions to London, Bruges and the beaches of Normandy. Katherine, who considers herself a history buff, has worked very hard to pay for most of this trip herself and we are happy to award her a scholarship to help see her across the finish line. We wish her a fabulous European adventure this summer!
Shannon Tagler
Shannon Tagler, a Senior Accounting Major from the University of Alabama. She is super involved in campus activities, serving as a Senator in the SGA for the College of Arts and Sciences and as a member of Pi Beta Phi, as well as working as Chief of Staff and Director of Communications for the VP of Financial affairs. This summer Shannon will be participating in the UA in Europe International Financial Reporting study abroad program in Athens, Greece and Paris, France. She will also have an opportunity to visit the beaches of Normandy and Brugges. Shannon has worked throughout her college career and held two jobs in the summers to help cover costs and we are thrilled to help her achieve her dream of studying in Europe
Rotosha Word
Rotosha is a first generation college graduate with a degree in Communications who is currently pursuing her masters degree in Women's Studies. She will be traveling to Africa to participate in a service learning project in Suyani, Ghana. While there she will be expanding her knowledge of African culture, religion and history while assisting local women and churches in the community. She will also be visiting an animal sanctuary, nearby goldmines and the Elimina Slave Castle. She is excited for this opportunity and is more than ready to learn about this part of the world and to give back to the local community through service, of which she is very passionate. We wish her a fabulous trip and we are glad to be able to assist her in this adventure!
Will Morlock
Will is completing a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration. He is a cadet and a member of the Rangers Challenge Team in the ROTC program as well as a UA Scholar. He will be participating in the UA in Asia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program where he will have hands on experience with the Southeast Asia global markets of Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. He will also be visiting the Angkor Wat Temple, the Grand Palace in Bangkok, kayak the Ba Trai Dao, and participate in a family cooking lesson in Hanoi. Will comes from a family of five children and has been working hard to put money aside to finance this journey and we are happy to help him get to the finish line. In his essay Will writes, “I hope that like Ian I can use this trip to prepare myself for continued adventures of the amazing places the world has to offer. While I may never have the courage to cage dive with great white sharks, I know I can proudly represent the Crimson Tide just as Ian had.”
Congratulations Will!
Jillian Dye
Jillian Dye is a senior at Mississippi State majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration on Pre-Med. She is also a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and the American Medical Student Association among numerous other clubs and activities. Jillian is a hardworking, high achieving student who has made the Deans List on numerous occasions while working part time to assist in her educational expenses. In January, she will be participating in a Medical/Educational Clinic trip to Peru in association with MSU. While there she will be participating in numerous free medical clinics that will serve remote Peruvian communities that are in dire need of medical services. Serving these communities will allow her to receive hands on experience for her future career while at the same time helping to improve lives for those in need. This is our first time to sponsor a student who Ian knew and loved and we are beyond excited to help her achieve this dream! Peru is such a magical place and it was also the last trip that Ian took just one week before his passing. It really is a full circle moment for our foundation.We wish her a successful trip and can’t wait to hear about it and see her pictures when she returns!
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2022 Winners
English Prohaska
English Prohaska, is a University of Alabama sophomore majoring in Marketing. This summer she will be studying in Sharjah, UAE at the American University. She will be the first student from UA to attend this program. There she will be enrolled in two courses, Fundamentals of Finance and the Fundamentals of Management. During her stay she will also be visiting Burj Khalifa and other sites in Dubai as well as taking an Arabic cooking class. She is excited to meet new friends from around the world and immerse herself in new experiences and culture.
Kristen Hopkins
University of Alabama student, Kristen Hopkins is a junior majoring in Finance and Economics and a member of the UA Track and Field team. She has been selected to study at the prestigious London School of Economics where she will be taking several courses: Financial Markets and the Global Economy, The History of Bubbles, Crashes and Inflations as well as Intermediate Macroeconomics. Besides her studies this summer she also looks forward to visiting the many exciting places that London has to offer. This will be her first time traveling outside the US and we are so happy to assist her in making this trip possible!
Makenzi Kool
Makenzi is a junior at the University of Alabama and an accounting major. This summer she will be traveling to Germany and Italy to study International Financial Reporting Standards. Her coursework will take her to Berlin and Florence and she also plans on visiting other major cities in the surrounding area as well as trips to Prague and London. In her essay Makenzi writes that she believes this study abroad experience will impact her life in a positive way and give her new perspectives of other cultures and experiences that will remain with her forever. Ian shared that same belief. We are honored to help her achieve her dreams and goals and we wish her a great trip!
Peyton Huie
Peyton Huie is a senior Dance and Business Management Major with a Spanish Minor at The University of Alabama. This summer Peyton will be heading to Spain for her study abroad program. She will be taking two courses: Spanish Civilizations and 21st Century Madrid. The latter course allows her to experience Madrid with museum visits, sporting events and city exploration. She will also be taking several trips to see other cities in Spain. While there, she will be paired with a student in Spain who will be her conversational partner, allowing her to increase her fluency in the language. In her essay, Peyton writes that she wants to see the world and live a life full of experiences.
Caleb Pierce
Caleb Pierce is a senior International Business Management major who will be participating in the UA Study Abroad in Asia-Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Cambodia program. This study abroad experience will allow him to visit and learn about local businesses in Cambodia where he will also explore both major cities as well as rural areas of the country. This is Caleb’s first experience traveling abroad. Caleb is in for an exciting and busy summer season. Upon his return, he will immediately begin his internship for Charles Schwab. We wish him a wonderful adventure and congratulate him on all of his hard work!
Mary Patton
Mary is an accounting major who will be graduating with a 4.0 GPA this May! She will be continuing her studies at UA as a graduate student in the Masters of Accounting program. Mary will be traveling this summer to start her graduate coursework in Germany and Italy participating in the International Financial Reporting Study Abroad program. This will be Mary’s first travel abroad experience and we are honored to help her reach this goal. She has earned her undergraduate degree with a perfect GPA while working part time as a child care provider and as a volunteer tutor. She will also travel to London as well as numerous day trips around Berlin and Florence!
2021 Winner
Khialee Boyles
Congratulations to Khialee Boyles, an accounting major at the University of Alabama who applied for our scholarship last year but due to the pandemic, all study abroad trips were cancelled. We offered the winners the opportunity to postpone their awards in the hopes that they would be able to reschedule their trips once travel opened up again and we are so happy that she will be able to travel this summer! Khialee will be traveling to Germany and Italy and taking an accounting course on International Accounting Standards. We wish her the best in her studies and hope that she has a wonderful trip! While she will be based in Berlin, Germany and Florence, Italy for her coursework, she will be also have the chance to visit numerous other cities such as Dresden, Buchenwald, Venice,Milan and Rome.
Kyle is an 11 th grader from Bob Jones High School in Madison, AL. He will be traveling to France,
Germany, and the Alps in June of 2020 with his French teacher and classmates. This will be his first
experience traveling outside of the United States. His interests include studying languages (he is
currently taking French IV), history, culture, and geography. He dreams of visiting many places around the world and he aspires to teach history and geography one day. He is a member of the French and Math Clubs at his school and currently has a 4.0 GPA. Kyle has paid for his portion of the trip by working two part time jobs this school year. Even with a difficult school schedule and working most days after school, he has maintained high grades and meets his deadlines. His teachers write that he is an extremely hard working student who has a wonderful sense of humor and is well respected by his peers.
Brandon is a 10 th grader from Bob Jones High School in Madison, AL. He will be traveling to Italy and Greece in May of 2020 with his AP History teacher and classmates. Brandon comes from a military family and has lived outside of the United States as a child. However he has always dreamed of visiting
Italy. He loves learning about other cultures and history and he dreams of seeing the places he has
studied in person. He is a talented writer who is on the school newspaper staff, as well as in creative
writing. He has won awards for his writing skills and has entered numerous competitions. He is also a
member of the JROTC program and the competitive Archery Team. His future goal is to teach English for
the DODEA so he can continue to travel the world as well as touch students’ lives. His past experiences
have given him a deep appreciation for living abroad. His teacher writes that he is a serious and hard-
working student who is creative, humorous and respectful to others. Brandon has received some help
from his family in paying for his portion of the trip.
2019 Winners
