Transforming Youth Through Travel Scholarship

Working with the innovative educational nonprofit St. HOPE, which has transformed the inner-city community of Oak Park, Sacramento and established a new standard for public education and economic revitalization of urban communities in the U.S., we sponsor a yearly travel scholarship for one or two high-achieving students as part of our overall annual projects. The scholarship is designed to give youth from economically challenged, inner-city neighborhoods the opportunity to travel, and to broaden their horizons through travel.

Working with tour company Context Travel, the scholarship includes travel and accommodations in Europe, plus a study trip with the scholars in the Context network. The program is intensive and includes several days of seminars, classes, workshops, and other programs, capped by a writing project. So far, students have visited Rome, Florence, Naples, and Paris as part of this program. To learn more or apply, visit St. Hope.

To learn more about this program and its impact, watch this video of the winners’ announcement from a few years ago.

The Scholarship in Images

Recent scholarship winners Jessica Hardy and Rebeca Veliz Vargas from Sacramento High visited Paris for 10 days of in-depth cultural experiences. Jessica, a junior and an aspiring architect, and Rebeca, a senior with a keen interest in art history, kept a running blog of their experiences.

The Transforming Youth Through Travel Schoalarship winners sit by the Seine.

Jessica on the trip to Normandy: Today I stood on American hallowed grounds – the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Seventy years after the end of World War II read more>

Scholarship winners discuss the war history at Normandy.

Rebecca on being inside the Paris Opera house: I felt tiny next to the decorative lamps and statues, I had a feeling of royalty and elegance read more>

Rebeca reflects on her first days in Paris: Making mistakes on the metro, walking into stores saying bonjour and merci is an amazing experience read more>

Jessica sees first-hand the effects of tourism on historic sights: While the nave of Notre Dame is nothing less than an impressive showcase of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, I was easily distracted by the presence of the crowd, murmuring and snapping pictures. read more>