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Blacksburg Refugee Partnership College Scholarship

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We are happy to announce the BRP Scholarship To Advance former-Refugee Students (STARS)!

In the summer of 2016, the Blacksburg Refugee Partnership (BRP) was formed in response to the tragic events unfolding in Syria and other parts of the Middle East. This left millions of displaced people seeking refuge in other countries including the US. BRP wanted to positively affect a global crisis and considered it our social responsibility to ease the daunting transition of refugee families resettling in Blacksburg.

BRP has learned a lot in the last 5 years; however, nothing can overshadow the strength, resilience, and growth our families have maintained throughout. We were so pleased to learn that 2 of our family members will be attending university this fall. College, however, is no small cost and we want to celebrate their achievement and hard work with the creation of the BRP College Scholarship Fund.

Spotlight on the recipients:
Consistent with BRP policy and to respect the privacy of the two students, we will not be sharing their names.

Upon arriving in 2017, the first recipient started as a junior in high school. He went on to attend New River Community College where he was named to the President’s list; an achievement recognizing students who attain a 3.5 or higher GPA for any one semester.  He accomplished all of this while also working 20 hours a week most semesters. This is no small feat.

We are so happy to announce that he will be attending Virginia Tech in fall 2021 as a Neuroscience major while pursuing a pre-med track. His dream is to go to medical school after college and become a doctor. Helping his family navigate the complicated resettlement process has instilled a sense of social responsibility within him and he wants to continue supporting others in the context of healthcare. 

After years of hard work and succeeding despite studying in a new language, his proudest achievement is learning English and enrolling in Virginia Tech.

The second recipient began high school in the US as a sophomore in 2017. She is extremely passionate about education and is most proud of learning English and graduating from high school and New River Community College with high grades.  She was also named to the President’s List multiple semesters; an achievement earned while simultaneously holding a part-time job. 

She will be attending Radford University this fall as a biology major also on a pre-med track. After graduating with a BS in Biology she plans on attending medical school and becoming a doctor. It is her childhood dream to become a doctor and since loves working with children she wants to pursue pediatrics.  

This year we have a goal to raise $10,000 by July 31st!  We know for a fact that with the help of our extensive network of amazing members and community partners we can make our goal a reality. Please give what you can and spread the word. Together we can continue to positively contribute to the future and success of our BRP family members.


Please visit our website to learn more about BRP!
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Donations 

  • Devin Beyma
    • $25
    • 3 yrs
  • Ellen Piilonen
    • $500
    • 3 yrs
  • Unitarian Universalist Congregation Blacksburg
    • $185
    • 3 yrs
  • Melanie Trammell
    • $20
    • 3 yrs
  • Madeleine Cáceres
    • $50
    • 3 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Talia Baddour
Organizer
Blacksburg, VA
Jared Keyel
Beneficiary

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