kis.in Marilyn Scudder Memorial Scholarship : Kodaikanal International School

Organization : Kodaikanal International School
Scholarship Name : KIS Scholarships
Applicable For : Students
School Location : Kodaikanal

Website : https://www.kis.in/

KIS Scholarships :
Kodaikanal International School has endeavored to encourage students who display a strong academic performance and achievement coupled with a commitment to learning.

For the first 75 years of KIS’s existence, tuition fees were provided for from individual foreign churches, mission boards, diplomatic agencies, the UN and organizations. Families paying their own fees were a rarity. In the 1970’s the School’s demographics changed with an increasing number of families paying their own fees.

As these changes became apparent, the school found it necessary to continue to attract deserving students while maintaining the demographic diversity which makes KIS unique. The student would need to exhibit the values we look for which include an outstanding character the ability and willingness to contribute to public service, artistic and / or athletic life of the school, leadership, participation in volunteer, community, school-related activities and critical thinking ability.

Our commitment has been to offer a holistic education to students across the world who are unable to afford such an education. The scholarship we would like to offer would address the issue of unmet financial need which includes limited family income or funds not sufficient to cover education related expenses.

KIS has launched the following scholarship programs:
Marilyn Scudder Memorial Scholarship:
Marilyn, whose parents were medical missionaries in Kuwait, attended Kodai School from 1947 to 1951 and 1952 to 1956. While at Kodai she not only did well academically, but excelled in sports and music. She earned her MD degree from the University of Michigan and was the first female ophthalmology resident at the University of Minnesota. In her final year of residency, she spent time at the Mvumi Hospital in Tanzania which paved the way for the rest of her life.

From 1973 to 2001 she was a missionary ophthalmologist at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center in Moshi, Tanzania and at Mvumi Hospital. In addition to very competent and compassionate care as an eye surgeon she trained medical officers, ophthalmic nursing officers, ophthalmic opticians, medical assistants, and nurses. A life- long friend and fellow ophthalmologist wrote that “Marilyn’s life was a life of giving, and living joyfully. She treated every patient with respect and the highest competency no matter how high or low their station”. She received several awards that recognized her outstanding life and work. These included the Distinguished Alumni Award from Hope College and the Outstanding Humanitarian Service Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

The Kodaikanal International School proudly announces the Marilyn Scudder Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship program is aimed to attract a student who is likely to excel academically and one who can contribute to public service, artistic or athletic life of the school. Eligibility is independent of nationality, gender and religion. The applicant must show a will to succeed, critical thinking ability, leadership skills and perseverance in the face of challenges.

The scholarship is offered to a student entering Grade 9 and partially covers his/her education till he/she graduates from Kodai School

Russell De Valois Scholarship:
Russell De Valois graduated from KIS in 1943 and he went on to earn his PhD in Physiological Psychology from the University of Michigan. He joined the faculty at Indiana University in Bloomington where his work on color vision became widely known. He was a brilliant scientist who taught at the University of California in Berkeley and conducted pioneering research on vision and how spatial information is analyzed by the brain.

Russell died 20 September 2003 as a result of a car accident that occurred during his return to California from the 60th anniversary reunion of his KIS graduation.

KIS proudly launched the Russell De Valois Scholarship through an endowment fund established by Russells’s High School classmates (KIS Class of 1943). The scholarship program is aimed to attract a student who is likely to excel academically and one who can contribute to public service, artistic or athletic life of the school. Applicant must be an Indian citizen with eligibility independent of gender and religion. The applicant must show a will to succeed, critical thinking ability, leadership skills and perseverance in the face of challenges.

The scholarship is offered once in every two years to a student entering grade 11 for the duration of their study at KIS to graduation at the end of grade 12.

Aung-Thwin/Reble Scholarship:
The classes of 1963 and 1964, led by Beth (Grumm) Kroger and Mary (Coleman) Lowry, have established a memorial scholarship fund to honor Former Staff members Margaret Aung-Thwin (at Kodaikanal School from 1959-1967) and Eric Reble (at Kodaikanal School from 1960-1965).

This scholarship, named the “Aung-Thwin/Reble Scholarship” is a joint project of the classes of 1963 and 1964.