The John Messerlian Scholarship

John  Messerlian was a citizen of the world and a great humanitarian always striving throughout his life to promote values of diversity and inclusion of all peoples and cultures. That devotion to human equality and education were at the heart of what he stood for and further reflected in his innate ability to relate to and love all people equally and without judgment. His passion for people fueled a great sense of volunteerism to advance multiculturalism and human rights. John believed deeply in the value of education especially for those who would not otherwise benefit from such an opportunity.  John's quest was to improve new opportunities sought by other newcomers.  His motto was: "We came before to open the door." John was especially fond of helping young people who took a risk to move to a new country to pursue academic training. John knew the lasting legacy education had to propel underprivileged individuals for generations to come. The John Messerlian Scholarship is a fund to support his mission to empower an underprivileged, first generation student (i.e., a student whose parents never obtained a college education) to pursue their graduate degree in public health.  The funds from this GoFundMe campaign will be made into a gift to the Harvard Chan School of Public Health in the name of John Messerlian's Scholarship Fund to offset the tuition expenses to a first generation student while pursuing their studies in epidemiology, environmental health, or public health.