Student group helps create refugee scholarship fund

The Muslim Student Association has partnered with Washington State University to establish a scholarship to support refugee students.

Tahsina Yeasmin (Sarah), president of MSA and a pre-med double major in biology and neuroscience, along with student leaders and WSU leadership worked together over the summer to seek funding for a refugee scholarship.

The student group initially discussed the idea of WSU divesting from businesses connected to military arms used in Gaza. But in a meeting with Mike Connell, vice president for advancement and CEO of WSU Foundation, the group learned that the way WSU Foundation investments are structured, divestment was impractical in principle for their focus, and the discussion pivoted to creating a scholarship.

Kimberly Holapa, senior associate vice chancellor with Student Affairs, said, "It became really evident that our students wanted to focus on the humanitarian aspect as opposed to the political."

The scholarship will be donor-funded and linked on the WSU Foundation webpage. It will also be highlighted during conversations with donors. The scholarship will support prospective students who are refugees from their home countries. The scholarship will not be limited to one country or group but will focus on prospective students who otherwise wouldn't have a chance at academia. The hope is to garner enough donations to support at least one refugee student for a full-ride 4-year undergraduate degree, which would require approximately $57,000.

The new scholarship fund is also intended to support and expand WSU's mission of inclusion and remove the financial barrier to obtaining higher education.

In the past two years, WSU International Programs has helped resettle four families that were refugees from Afghanistan. This scholarship will continue the efforts to make the Pullman campus even more accepting of refugees. Most refugee students who attend WSU typically come in as resident undergrads after seeking refuge in the US as high schoolers, or earlier. WSU has many resources for students fleeing foreign conflict such as the Undocumented Student Center, First Generation Center, Intensive American Language Center, Office of Multicultural Student Services, and the International Center.

Yeasmin said she was encouraged by WSU's responsiveness and willingness to cooperate and create the scholarship. She said she hopes the funding grows and can afford to cover multiple refugee students' pursuit of affordable education.

"Student leaders often underestimate the power they have. 'What can I do, I'm just president of yadda-yadda club,'" she said. "You have a position the university values. The universities are also diverse because of these clubs."

One scholarship can't end the issues that lead to displacement, but it can make a huge difference in one student's life.

"If you want change you have to work for it," she said.

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