Baruch College Students Win Freeman-ASIA Scholarships
October 26, 2021
Baruch College students continue to excel at earning academic awards, as five undergraduates were recently selected for the Freeman-Asia Scholarships for the fall 2021 cycle.
In just the last few months, 11 students won Gilman International Scholarships, five graduate students were chosen for the NYC Community Planning Fellowship Program, and a record number of students received the U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarships.
The Freeman Awards for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA) provide scholarships for U.S. undergraduates with demonstrated financial needs to study in East or Southeast Asia. Students receive essential financial support to cover the cost of the program and related expenses, including airfare, basic living costs, local transportation, books, etc.
In their submitted applications, the students applied to study at universities in Japan, China, and South Korea.
Meet Baruch’s Freeman-ASIA Scholars:
- Joel de la Cruz (’22), economics major, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
- Faraz Hameed (’22), majoring in Asian and American studies/Japanese language and culture, CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies (CUNY BA) program taking classes at the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
- Oasis Hawk (’21), corporate communication major, Weissman School of Arts and Sciences
- Allison Lai (’22), international business major, Zicklin School of Business
- Lisa Wu (’22), management major, Zicklin School of Business
Due to the pandemic, The City University of New York (CUNY) has suspended study abroad programming for the immediate time being. That is not stopping Hameed from pursuing his goal of an academic international experience. With a fall 2021 Gilman Scholarship in hand, and now the Freeman-Asian Scholarship, he plans to pause graduation plans this year in hopes of a CUNY policy change to restart study abroad travel.
“I chose Japan to further strengthen my fluency of Japanese language and have first-hand cultural experiences with the community,” says Hameed. “I am looking forward to building new connections and creating strong mutual trust to help me establish career for future, which includes advocating for AAPI issues through non-profit organizations and helping communities facing language barriers access critical information and resources to navigate schools or health facilities.”
Hameed added, “I am thankful for services at Baruch that helped prepare me to become a strong candidate for the scholarship. I also want to thank my study abroad advisor at CUNY BA for helping me guide throughout the whole process, and Baruch College Director of Study Abroad Dr. Richard Mitten’s support to study abroad has been incredibly helpful.”
About the Freeman-ASIA Award
Freeman-ASIA is sponsored by the Freeman Foundation, a private foundation with offices in Honolulu. The program’s goal is to increase the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its peoples and cultures. From its inception in 2001, Freeman-ASIA has made study abroad in East and Southeast Asia possible for over 5,000 U.S. undergraduates from more than 600 institutions.
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