Frontier Community College
Spirit of Life Scholarship Application Form
The Spirit of Life Foundation, a federally recognized 501c.3 non-profit entity makes
awards to institutions of higher learning for the purpose of supporting students who wish
to undertake international education programs. The foundation makes awards of $3000 per
student directly to qualified institutions such as FCC for support of a specific educational
program proposed by the student.
These scholarships are known as the Spirit of Life Foundation Scholarship for International
Studies.
FCC is responsible for reviewing proposals, making a selection, distributing the funds to
the student, and ensuring that the student completes a report at the end of the study-abroad
experience.
Scholarship Requirements: To be eligible for the Spirit of Life Scholarship through
Frontier Community College, an applicant must be between the ages of 18-24 and must
be a current or former FCC student who is currently enrolled in a recognized program of
higher education.
Scholarship Utilization: For the scholarship to be awarded, the applicant must plan an
international study program of not less than one month in his or her field of study; the
program should not be an independent study or mentorship program but one that immerses
the student in the culture, working extensively with or within a group or community.
Send application and proposal by March 1 to:
Lori Noe, Coordinator of Financial Aid
Frontier Community College
2 Frontier Drive
Fairfield, Illinois 62837
Personal Information
Full Name: ________________________________
Birth Date: _____________
Current Address: ______________________________________________________
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Permanent Address: ___________________________________________________
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Current Phone Number: _____________________________________
Permanent Phone Number: ______________________________________
E-mail Address: ______________________________________________________
Education/Employment
If you are currently enrolled at an institute of higher learning:
Current School/University: ______________________________________________
Current Program of Study: ______________________________________________
Cumulative GPA (at time of application): ______________
If you are not currently attending Frontier Community College:
Semesters/Years You Attended FCC: _________________________________________
FCC Degree/Certificate Program: ____________________________________________
Degree(s)/Certificate(s) Earned from FCC (if any): ______________________________
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Credit Hours Earned (at FCC only): _______ Cumulative GPA (at FCC only): ________
If you are currently attending a two-year institution, what four-year institution do you plan to
attend?
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Awards/Programs/Activities
Please list any awards, honors, or scholarships you have received during your time in school.
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Please list any programs or activities in which you have participated during your time in school,
either on campus or in the community.
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Please list any internships or assistantships in your field of study you have held during your time
in school.
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Scholarship Proposal
In this section, please outline your plans for the scholarship funds, including any details that are
relevant. Please read the sample proposal attached to this form.
**Note that this is a proposal and, as such, can be subject to change. However, it is the student’s
responsibility to ensure that all the plans for the project are feasible and accessible to the student.
If plans are not successful or if changes occur that are drastic enough to change the parameters of
the study program so that it no longer fits the requirements of the scholarship, funds will not be
awarded.**
Location:
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Projected Duration: _______________________________________________________
Program Summary: ______________________________________________________
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Your Objective: ________________________________________________________
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Why You Wish to Pursue this Project: _______________________________________
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What You Hope to Gain: _________________________________________________
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Note: If you are selected to receive the scholarship, you will be expected to complete and submit
a more detailed proposal before embarking on your international study program, using Spirit of
Life Foundation proposal templates that will be filed with FCC.
Illinois Eastern Community Colleges reserve the right to change, without notice, any of the material, information, requirements, or regulations
published in this document. IECC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, national origin, or veteran
status. IECC adheres to the Federal Regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and offers appropriate services or activities with
reasonable accommodations to any qualified disabled individual upon request. IECC’s Board of Trustees has adopted the Substance Abuse
Policy. Students and employees involved in substance abuse, within the college environment, are subject to disciplinary action. Some
information in this publication may become outdated due to changes in the Board of Trustees’ Policy. In such instances, current Board Policy
will prevail.
Frontier Community College – An Illinois Eastern Community College
Template and Example Proposal for the Spirit of Life Foundation Scholarship for
International Studies
1. Student Name and Contact Information
2. Program / Project Title
3. Program / Project Location
4. Program / Project Timetable
5. Objective / Overview of Program
6. Background / How the Program fits student’s educational plan
7. Anticipated Benefit /Project Summary
8. Student’s personal statement about this program / Project
9. Funding Needed / Budget
10. Project / Program Site Contact / Coordinator
11. Home Institution Coordinator / Administrator
Hypothetical Example
Penn State College of Medicine Global Health Center
Medical Student Project Proposal
Medical Student: Stephen Maturin, MS 1; sgm12@psu.edu
Project Title: Tuberculosis Testing in Southwestern Costa Rica
Project Location: San Isidro, Costa Rica
Project Timetable: July 1 – July 29, 2011
Objective: To evaluate the use of community health workers for testing for tuberculosis in
rural areas of Costa Rica.
Background: Costa Rica provides universal health care for all of its citizens. Half of its
population of four million live in urban areas where there is relatively easy access to
medical clinics. However, the other two million citizens are spread out over very rugged
terrain where each small town has a modest clinic staffed by a one full time nurse and
visited once a week by a physician, pharmacist, and an administrator from Costa Rica’s
National Health Service. Residents on farms and in small villages are seen first in a clinic in
the nearest town. In the past five years there has been an increase in tuberculosis cases
throughout Costa Rica. Early diagnosis is key to effective treatment of this disease, and
thereby to preservation of the patient’s quality of life and productivity. The National
Health Service has created and put into place an effective screening program that has been
put into place in all of the urban clinics. However this program requires the patient to
return to the clinic 24 hours after the initial visit to have a health care worker examine the
patient’s arm and make a reading. This is relatively easily done only in urban areas where
there is easy access to public transportaion.
Unmet Need: Transportation from rural areas to the nearest clinic is problematic and
limits the value of a test that requires a patient to return to a clinic in 24 hours.
Proposed Project Summary: The National Health Service has a yet untested modification
of the TB testing protocol for use in rural areas. In short, this protocol is based on the
training of community volunteers to perform the tests and record the results which will be
picked up on a weekly basis by the National Health Service.
My Role in the Project: I will be part of a team which will include a physician, a nurse and
a public health officer from the National Health Service. The team’s mission will be to
select community health workers in each village and provide them with a one day
educational program and the necessary resources to conduct the TB screening tests in their
villages.
Why I Wish to Pursue this Project: Infectious disease prevention is critically important
for improving the lives and productivity of individuals living in developing countries.
What I Expect to Gain: I am interested in both public health and infectious diseases as
possible career paths and I expect that this project will give me insight into both areas.
Funding Needed:
Project Site Coordinator(s): xxxxxxx
Penn State College of Medicine Advisor(s): xxxxxxxxxx
Template and Example of a Report for the Spirit of Life Foundation Scholarship for
International Studies
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Student Name and Contact Information
Program / Project Title
Program / Project Location
Program / Project Timetable
Summary of Experience
Learning Achievements
Program Strengths
Program Weaknesses
Impact
Example
Penn State College of Medicine Global Health Center
Medical Student Project Report
Medical Student: Stephen Maturin, MS 1; sxm12@psu.edu
Project Title: Tuberculosis Testing in southwestern Cost Rica
Project Location: San Isidro de General, Costa Rica
Project Timetable: July 1 – July 29, 2011
Summary of the Experience: (The high points of what you did.)
The first week was spent in improving my Spanish, learning about Costa Rican history and
culture, particularly as it relates to current health care of citizens in remote villages.
Language classes were held for three hours each morning and the afternoon was devoted
to cultural study. There were a total of eight students in this particular one month
program. Four were from other medical schools in the US, two were from Canada and two
were from Israel. The afternoons always started with a talk of about an hour by one of
several university or government officers, all of whom knew their subject and were able to
communicate well and make sure that we understood the high points of their
presentations. Each afternoon presentation was followed by a field trip. These included a
trip to the city’s water purification plant and its waste water treatment plant, a trip to the
local hospital, a trip to a small health clinic at the edge of town, a trip to a nearby coffee
bean packing plant and a trip to a local sawmill and wood processing plant. Lodging was in
a dormitory of an unused trade school and breakfast and dinner were provided there also.
We got our lunches on our own in the town this week.
During weeks two and three the eight students were split into four groups with two who
joined four Costa Rica National Health Service field teams who were carrying out the
education program throughout the province of Cartago and in the northern section of
Puntarenas. These two provinces make up about 40% of the land mass and contain about
20% of the population of Costa Rica. During these two weeks our schedule was set up so
that we would return each evening to our residence hall in San Isidro de General. In the
last week our teams traveled to the southern part of Puntarenas and since it was not
possible to return each evening to San Isidro, we stayed in small hotels and guest houses in
the small towns of this province.
Each day in the field we worked with community health care providers and community
leaders as part of the testing of a TB testing protocol for use in rural areas. In short, this
protocol is based on the training of community volunteers to perform the tests and record
the results which will be picked up on a weekly basis by the National Health Service. I
worked with my team which included one other medical student, a Costa Rican physician, a
nurse and a public health officer from the National Health Service. Each day we met with
community health workers in remote villages and provide them with a one day educational
program and the necessary resources to conduct the TB screening tests in their villages.
Learning Achievements: (Briefly describe the two to four most important things that you
learned.)
First, I was totally impressed by Costa Rica’s wide spread and effective system of primary
health care delivery. Nearly every village has some form of a health care facility. Usually it
consists of a small concrete block building with three rooms for clinical care activities and
attached to it is always a good sized covered pavilion where the nurses hold free health
care and wellness classes. A nurse is at the clinic at least five days a week, and a doctor and
pharmacist are there one day a week. Second, most of the citizens of Costa Rica that I met
in the towns and in the villages seem remarkably happy and fit, in contrast to the situation
in the US where it seems to me that a majority of the population are discontented,
overweight and certainly not fit. The take home lesson for me in this regard is that the US
should examine its health care priorities. Third, although Costa Rica’s population is about
4.5 million, about the same as the state of Louisiana, the country has a comprehensive
education, transportation and healthcare system with the result that they have 96%
literacy rate and Costa Ricans have a longer life span than the citizens of the US.
Program Strengths: The program made every effort to make me part of the team, not just
a visitor from the US, There was a one day program review in San Isidro de General where
the program director, Ms. Lilliana Chavez, led our group of eight students through a
carefully planned review session. She made sure that all of us had time and opportunity to
ask questions and to put what we had learned into perspective. The housing and food
arrangements were well thought as were the field tours during the first week.
Program Shortcomings: For me the shortcomings were too minor to deserve much
attention. However, our first week of language and culture classes would not have been
useful if I did not already possess reasonably good conversational Spanish when I arrived.
Two of the eight students had much less Spanish before arrival and they simply were never
able to participate in the conversations in the field the way the rest of us could. One minor
point is that the program started and ended in San Isidro de General and students had to
make their own travel arrangement s to and from the airport in San Jose. We were all fine
with the return, but for those with limited Spanish finding the right buses into San Jose, and
then to San Isidro de General was a hassle.
Impact: (How has the experience affected your career / education goals?) I am still
processing all of the things that I learned and how they are fitting into my understanding of
how health care systems can vary so much depending upon culture and political goals of
any given nation’s leaders. I realize more clearly now that our system is far from perfect
and I’m particularly interested in the whole concept of “High Tech / Low Touch, versus
High Touch / Low Tech,” and am now think that I need to explore career paths that will
allow me to combine some aspect of primary care with my interests in public health and
public health research. Overall, it was an eye-opening four weeks!