Named the only recipient in the country of an inaugural Community Impact Scholarship, Lone Star College-CyFair International Studies student Diana Tran will participate in a hands-on Tanzania microfinance remote internship.
The International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) and Community Colleges for International Development (CCID) awarded this scholarship to support volunteerism with overseas partners.
A member of The Honors College at LSC-CyFair, Tran is focused on a future career with a goal to be a part of or to create organizations or businesses that will have a sustained global impact and give back to both the local and global community.
As recipient of the new IVHQ CCID scholarship for a remote international internship experience in Tanzania, Tran will have the opportunity to see first-hand how microloans are used as an economic development tool.
“I look forward to getting trained in the consulting process for evaluating and improving business concepts,” she said. “I am most excited about the idea that I could be a small part of helping local business ventures get financing so that they may in turn serve their community and support their own families.”
While at LSC-CyFair, she is gaining confidence, learning soft skills and what kind of service actions are needed to build community and long-lasting relationships, as well as taking advantage of opportunities with business-focused curriculum and an international cultural aspect. She been a participant in the Honors College Leadership Program, a team member in the IREX Global Solutions Sustainability Challenge and a delegate in National Model United Nations. She also earned a prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship she will use for a summer study abroad program in Morocco.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to work closely with Diana during her academic career in Honors,” said Katharine Caruso, Ph.D., LSC Associate Vice Chancellor, Honors and International Education. “Whether through her national research project on ecological solutions to landfills or her role as a student diplomat speaking from the floor of the United Nations in New York, her interest in global education is driven by her curiosity and concern for the world around her. She’s become a role model for her peers.”
Taking one class at a time when she enrolled at LSC-CyFair, Tran is now looking at graduating with Highest Honors in 2025 and plans to transfer to Canfield Business Honors Program in the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin or the MIT Sloan School of Management.
“Everyone’s situation is unique and, as long as you’re willing to put in the work, there is no shame in doing what works best for you to achieve your prioritized list of goals, even if that is not the norm,” she said. “My experience at LSC-CyFair has transformed me into someone who is confident to take on new challenges and to turn goals that may seem idealistic into something achievable.”
Registration for May mini-mester or summer classes at LSC-CyFair is underway. For information, go to LoneStar.edu/cf-mini-mester or LoneStar.edu/regcyfair.