The University of Akron has created eight new scholarships for members of the Bhutanese-Nepali refugee community. The announcement was made at this weekend’s annual Bhutanese festival.
Thousands of Bhutanese have come to Akron by way of refugee camps in Nepal over the last decade, and more have arrived via “secondary migration” from other U.S. cities. Columbus has an additional 20,000 such refugees, the largest of any U.S. city.
University of Akron President Matthew Wilson says the scholarships will help enrich education for non-refugee students as well.
“They will be able to have a greater understanding, be able to build bridges, to be able to learn more and then conversely for the Bhutanese community, they’ll be able to become more integrated into our society, they’ll be able to go out and get the tools they need to succeed as well,” Wilson says.
The scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, will be available beginning next fall. They’re in addition to the tuition aid offered to Akron public school students and can be applied to transportation, books and other expenses.
