ELI grad Tomohiro Mita (right) returned
to the ELI this Sepember to
contribute to the scholarship fund
he had benefited from in 2005

Scholarships: the gift that keeps on giving

Tomohiro Mita remembers the English Language Institute almost every day. A 2005 graduate now working in information technology, he refers to his four sessions here as his “golden age.”

“The ELI gave me a home away from home with a family, co-workers and lifelong friends. Although I’m at home in Japan now, I’m homesick for ELI!” he said.

At the time, Tomo’s personal resources could fund his studies for only three sessions. Fortunately his teachers, recognizing his academic merit and remarkable motivation, recommended him for a scholarship and he was able to stretch his golden dream for another two months.

In September, the ELI received a surprise visit from Tomohiro Mita. Even more surprisingly, in his hand was a check—a contribution to the scholarship fund.

“As soon as I learned that I had been awarded that scholarship in 2005, I made up my mind that whenever I came back to the States I would contribute a little to the fund,” he said. “I want to give future students the same opportunity that I had.”

Every year a number of deserving students like Tomo receive scholarships to prolong their studies. In this way the Institute holds on to highly motivated, exemplary students, who can then see their languagelearning goals through to the end.

To receive a scholarship, applicants must furnish proof of financial need. They must then receive appraisals from their current teachers regarding both their academic achievement and their leadership qualities. A committee comprised of faculty and administrators deliberates on each student’s qualifications and needs, weighed against the available funding.

“In almost all cases, the amount awarded represents a partial scholarship,” said ELI director Scott Stevens, “in order to help as many deserving students as possible. This arrangement particularly benefits students who recognize that they have a stake in their own education and who make efforts to contribute to its cost, for example by taking a job in a university dining hall.”

The first three ELI scholarships were established in 1989 to help support refugee students who, if they returned to their countries, would face persecution or arrest. Gradually, the number expanded to the current 16 scholarships. A number of these were established to honor people associated with the ELI in a variety of ways. The June Quigley scholarship is named for the teacher who founded and still teaches in the ELI’s business English program; it is awarded to students who are studying business English or who work in business. The Kathy Schneider scholarship, for students in the University of Delaware’s Conditional Admission Program, was established upon the retirement of ELI’s associate director. Thomas Casedevall, former senior executive for the DuPont Company and local benefactor, has sponsored a number of Eastern European students not only during their ELI language studies but also their graduate studies at the University of Delaware. To continue his good works into the future, the ELI established a scholarship in his name for Eastern European students.

Monetary awards established in memoriam include the Ruth Jackson scholarship, established upon the death of the much respected ELI professor to aid students in the English for Academic Purposes track. Three students who passed away during or shortly after their studies at the ELI are fondly remembered through scholarships named for them. The Camillo Gonzales scholarship generally aids meritorious Latin American students, while the Andres de Zuriba Dique fund rewards a student who exhibits exemplary character and the Adrian Bivolaru award goes to a student who has shown courage in overcoming life’s obstacles. Finally, the Mohammad Yazid scholarship was established by proclamation of the Dean of the College upon the death of the great Algerian diplomat, known as the “Benjamin Franklin of Algeria,” who persuaded President John F. Kennedy to be the first head of state to recognize Algeria as an independent country at the end of its war against France. Yazid’s widow, Olive, chose Newark as her home in her retirement and is a longtime and much-loved ELI tutor.

The scholarship fund is replenished through donor gifts, and frequent contributors include homestay families as well as the friends and families of the loved ones for whom the scholarships are named.

“ELI welcomes alumni gifts, especially from those who have benefited from scholarships in the past,” Stevens said.

Another gift that Tomo would like to share with future students is this sage advice: “Don’t waste your time while you’re at the ELI. You’re in America now, not your own country. Take every opportunity. When you return to your country, you will regret not what you did, but what you didn’t do.  • SP

Editor’s note: Friends and alumni of the ELI who wish to contribute to the scholarship fund may go to the ELI website (www.udel.edu/eli) and click on “Make a Donation to Scholarships for World Peace."