The DC School of Law Foundation and the UDC Foundation Benefit from Two McMillan Stewart Access Scholarship Endowments
The DC School of Law Foundation and the UDC Foundation Benefit from Two McMillan Stewart Access Scholarship Endowments
Students who have done the hard work to make it to law school or traveled from other countries to benefit from UDC’s educational opportunities are being assisted by the McMillan Stewart Access Scholarships. The endowments, established from a gift from the Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Foundation, included two $300,000 donations distributed to the UDC Foundation to support international students and to the DC School of Law Foundation to support the David A. Clarke School of Law for its access mission.
The McMillan-Stewart Foundation works to realize the vision of its founder, Geneviève McMillan, who supported the arts as a vehicle for understanding diverse human experiences and believed in working toward equality and justice for everyone.
“The Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Foundation has supported UDC Law students for several years. Establishing the endowed McMillan-Stewart Access Scholarship builds on our longstanding partnership and creates ongoing financial support for students,” said Adeshola Akintobi, who leads the Office of Institutional Advancement at the Law School.
Two students are the first to receive the new Law School endowed scholarship, which supports those who have demonstrated financial need. It was established in memory of Representative John R. Lewis.
“I’m beyond elated and extremely humbled by this opportunity,” said Sean Chao, UDC Law student. “I don’t think I would be able to handle the strain of focusing on both passing the bar and juggling full-time work, so this scholarship is nothing short of a Godsend. Upon passing, I am resolved to reinvest this through legal work in service to our community.”
Jennifer C. Tindie, 3L
Jennifer C. Tindie, 3L, and Sean Chao 3L, are the first law students to benefit from the scholarship.
Sean Chao, 3L
“I was highly honored and sincerely appreciative to receive the scholarship,” Tindie said. “Despite all obstacles, I became a first-generation graduate along with completing law school in May. With no family support, this financial assistance helped me eliminate many barriers. It assisted in my bar preparation and allowed me to concentrate more on studying and my career post-graduation.”
The UDC Foundation’s $300,000 endowment is established as the McMillan-Steward Foundation Endowed Scholarship and is restricted to international students, who are not eligible for most scholarships and do not qualify for federal financial aid. It is the University’s first endowed scholarship for international students and meets their unique needs.
The Foundation expects to make its first scholarship awards from the McMillan-Stewart Foundation Endowed Scholarship in January 2024, drawing from a pool of qualified international students.
“With so few funding resources available for our undocumented and international students at UDC, we are thrilled to have this new scholarship endowment at the UDC Foundation,” said Rodney Trapp, Vice President for University Advancement. “Living and studying in Washington, DC can be a very expensive endeavor. Some of our international students experience food insecurity and even homelessness during their time at UDC. The McMillan-Stewart Endowed Scholarship will help ease the financial burden these students face so that they can persist in their studies and become graduates.”
The McMillan-Stewart Endowed Scholarship will continue to advance the University of the District of Columbia’s efforts to recruit and retain its diverse population of students representing different countries and cultures.
UDC provides a supportive learning environment for international students from more than 80 countries from all over the world. It is also one of the most affordable and welcoming places for international students to earn a degree.
Over the years, the University of the District of Columbia has been a bridge for thousands of residents of the District of Columbia. Whether they have been first-generation, undocumented immigrants or bilingual, they have found a nurturing educational haven at UDC.
