Hi! My name is Shawna Tarkington, and I'm a sophomore at University of Richmond. I was recently accepted to a study abroad program this summer in Tbilisi, Georgia. As a financial aid recipient working my way through college, I pride myself on my work ethic. I have two jobs in the Weinstein Learning Center: I am both a writing consultant and a technology consultant. Even though I work an average of 20-25 hours a week between these positions (on top of an overfull course load), this trip is too expensive for me to afford on my own. I have received the Holt Scholarship for almost 1/3 of the cost of tuition, but I need some help to make up the rest! Between my two jobs and this fundraiser, I hope to make enough to cover tuition, airfare, and expenses in Georgia: about $6,000.

Studying abroad in Georgia is a very exciting opportunity for me as a Russian and Global Studies major; I will be taking a language class in Russian, which I started learning at Richmond, as well as an anthropology course. Taking these two classes abroad will free up some of my courses back at Richmond so that I could complete an honors program in anthropology. On top of these logistics, the chance to spend time living and learning in the Caucasus region at twenty years old is something I just can't pass up! It's a beautiful part of the world with a rich history that interests me deeply; later in my academic career I hope to go there again on a scholarship to achieve fluency in Russian. Having the opportunity to travel and create personal connections with the subjects I study will be invaluable to me throughout school and my career. I hope you'll feel inclined to help me realize this dream, and anything helps! Thank you for reading; have a beautiful day, and go Spiders! :)

-Shawna

Link to my study abroad program