FSYF Awards Ceremony 2016

The recipients of this year’s AAFSW Merit Scholarships were honored at the 2016 Youth Awards Ceremony of the Foreign Service Youth Foundation (FSYF), on July 8 at the State Department’s George C. Marshall Auditorium.

Winners of the FSYF Art Contest, Essay Contest, and KidVid Contest were recognized during the ceremony. The winning artwork was displayed in the lobby and through slideshows, and the winning videos ran in the lobby for all to see. The FSYF Academic Merit Award and Community Service Award winners were honored, as well as a special Foreign Service Youth Advocacy Award, given to longtime FSYF board member, Kay Branaman Eakin. Included in the printed program was a warm letter from Secretary of State John F. Kerry. Carol Perez, Principal Deputy Secretary from the Bureau Human Resources, gave the keynote speech.

AAFSW Merit Scholarship winner, Miranda Walls, was recognized for her pursuits at James Madison University, where she majors in Economics and is also pursuing a minor in Middle Eastern Communities and Migrations. The AAFSW Judy Felt Memorial Volunteerism Scholarship winner, Sofia Tipton, was recognized for her volunteer work in teaching English to Korean immigrants and serving as a recreation assistant at an assisted living center. AAFSW Best Essay Award winner, Magdalena Travis, was recognized for her essay in which she identified herself as a Third Culture Kid with the hope to someday help non-TCK’s understand who this unique group of individuals is.

Congratulations to all of our 2016 winners!