BACI to Partner with NAFSA on Myanmar Scholars and Leaders Program

INDIANAPOLIS, January 10, 2020 — The Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) and NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education and exchange, are pleased to announce a partnership supporting the new Myanmar Scholars and Leaders Program (MSLP).

Under this new arrangement, NAFSA will direct funds from the Tamara H. Bryant Endowed Scholarship to support opportunities for Myanmar students and scholars from non-governmental entities to attend graduate school in the United States.

The MSLP has been developed to train and support the next generation of leaders and scholars in Myanmar. Through an open and inclusive process, the program recruits diverse and promising individuals from Myanmar to attend leading universities and graduate schools in the United States—both in Master’s and Ph.D. degree programs—to develop the strong technical expertise and skills needed to assume leadership responsibilities in various sectors in Myanmar and beyond.

Funds for the new scholarships will come from the endowment Tamara Bryant created at NAFSA to assist promising, globally-minded students from Burma to achieve their career goals. Ms. Bryant left Burma during World War II as a refugee, traveling more than 1,500 miles to India by foot, and eventually settled in the United States. Through her journey in life, Ms. Bryant came to realize the difficulties women faced in reaching their potential in the workplace – particularly, women of color in her newly adopted country. With the recognition of these challenges, her endowment was established at NAFSA to assist students and scholars in achieving their career goals.

“We are excited to honor Tamara Bryant’s commitment to intercultural exchange by supporting students from her home country,” says NAFSA CEO and Executive Director Esther D. Brimmer.

MSLP works with its partners to select the most outstanding individuals from a pool of state employees, non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, emerging leaders, and researchers, and seeks to represent the diverse ethnic groups of the country.

“We are humbled and honored to be partnering with NAFSA as we continue to put all the efforts toward helping Myanmar in moving forward to a successful democracy and prosperous nation,” said Elaisa Vahnie, Executive Director of the BACI. “To be a successful and competitive country in the long-run, Myanmar will need to invest itself in quality education and in capacity building, both rapidly and on a large scale, which are the fundamental builders of a democratic society and sustainable development. We hope that this partnership will contribute to that end.”

Sample Tweet: .@NAFSA & BACI announce a new partnership supporting Myanmar students interested in pursuing graduate school in the U.S.

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About NAFSA
With more than 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. Visit us at www.nafsa.org/press. To learn more about our advocacy efforts on behalf of international education, visit www.nafsa.org/policy and @ConnectOurWorld on Twitter.

About BACI
The Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) is a non-profit organization founded in 2011 that provides educational and vocational support to the Burmese community in greater Indianapolis. The BACI also supports community members regionally, nationally, and globally through new initiatives, collaborative and strategic partnerships, and advocacy. For partnership opportunities with the MSLP, contact us at MSLP@thebaci.org.

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