American Councils’ supporters enjoyed a reception and tour last week at the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center in Washington, DC at the 2019 donor appreciation event. This annual gathering celebrates the generous contributions of American Councils' donors, whose support funds scholarships for outbound participants and helps to make study abroad programs more accessible to students across the United States. To date, donors have supported more than 100 scholarships for American students studying abroad.
While at the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center, donors learned about the history and culture of Oman, where American Councils administers the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program. Through CLS, participants study Arabic in Ibri, Oman and learn about the country’s culture in an intensive eight-week program.
Huma Shamsi, community relations specialist at American Councils, said she was thrilled to hold the event at the cultural center and offer supporters a glimpse into one of the locations where American Councils' participants learn about the Arabic-speaking world.
“We look forward to our donor appreciation event every year because it gives us a chance to personally thank the people who have helped make scholarships and programs possible for the incredible scholars we work with,” she said. “They are changing lives by making international education more accessible to all.”
One of those donors is staff member Scott Osdras, who works with many of the participants who benefit from privately-funded scholarships in his role with the AC Study and Research Abroad department.
I know first-hand how much this support means to our students,” he said. “Reading student feedback after they return to the US and witnessing how much their independence, self-confidence, global outlooks, and plans for the future expand through their time abroad is the most gratifying element of my work and inspires me to help in any way I can to continue extending access to these life-changing experiences to as many students as possible.
View the entire photo gallery from the event here.
