Esias Bedingar, a University of Kentucky alumnus, has established the Esias K. Bedingar Fund at the university to provide financial support to undergraduate and graduate students from Africa.
Bedingar, a native French speaker, came to the University of Kentucky in 2014. He knew no English, but he went on to complete the English as a Second Language program in just one semester. During his time at the university, he held a number of leadership positions including president of the African Student Association, senator in the student government, and ambassador with the University of Kentucky International Center. He also founded a chapter of the American Mock World Health Organization on campus and served as a Chellgran Student Fellow in the Lewis Honors College. He graduated in May 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in public health with a minor in neuroscience.
Currently, Bedingar is working towards a master’s degree in global health and population at Harvard University. After that, he plans to attend medical school. By establishing this scholarship fund, he hopes to create a legacy of incoming African students at the University of Kentucky.
“Those small scholarships can really help international students go and present their studies and their research projects,” said Bedingar. He continued, “It’s really important to support those students, so that they can achieve great things later in their life.”
More information on how to donate can be found here.
