Since 2018 the annual tradition of International Education Week on Bloomington’s campus has had a special addition: the Global Citizen Scholarship. Started as a way to bring students into the Office of International Services’ 75th anniversary, the video competition and scholarship was so popular it has continued each year since. A one-time scholarship, the award asks students to answer a new question each year. This year’s theme “What does the Indiana University community mean to you?” came from a September meeting of staff across the Office of International Services (OIS) areas. With representatives from each area of the office that supports international students and scholars in Bloomington, the selection committee works to make sure each year’s topic is relevant to what students are experiencing right now.
Once the topic is selected, the team of volunteer staff members sets out to review each video submission and winnow down the finalist list to just 10 videos. Both the quantity of submissions and spectacular quality of what students produce makes the judging process difficult, says Rendy Schrader, the committee’s lead, “It’s so hard! I wish we could recognize them all!”
However, there are only three winners who can claim the title of IU Global Citizen Scholarship awardee. This year the winning entries include an exchange student who had never created a video before, a violinist whose journey at IU allowed him to share research not just in Indiana but around the world, and a film student whose thesis project also explored the idea of “home.”
Meet the Winners
Thomas Mathias
Performer Diploma student, Jacobs School of Music 2024
Thomas Mathias’ journey at IU has been full of opportunities and his video reflects that. Originally from Wales in the United Kingdom, Mathias arrived in Indiana three years ago to pursue a Performer Diploma at the graduate level. “I was inspired to apply as it seemed like a good way to bind together my time at IU and show what I’ve learned and accomplished. I chose to highlight the ways in which IU has supported me in my personal and professional goals.” As he shares in the video, his time at the Jacobs School of Music’s Music and Mind lab has expanded beyond performance, diving into the world of research and performance. His advice for future students? Take the plunge into IU!
IU can offer so many new opportunities and gives new perspectives on education and life that our home countries may not.
Thomas Mathias, 2023 Global Citizen Scholarship winner
Vladislava Lodesk
Graduate Student, Media School 2024
As a Media School graduate student studying film, Vlada Lodesk is deeply familiar with the power of film to connect with others and tell stories, even when far away from home. Born in Siberia, Russia, Vlada often thought about what IU community meant to her and how she could bring a piece of her family to IU. “I miss my family and my home terribly, so I feel like I constantly try to either find pieces of home at IU or recreate them in a way.” She goes on, “the experience usually transforms and turns into something completely new and pretty wholesome—just like the film.”
Winning the scholarship has directly affected her academic plans. “It helped me move forward with my thesis plan. I got to buy a camera and now on my way to my hometown to get some (hopefully) fantastic footage of Siberia.” Her thesis project will continue to explore the notion of “home,” something she has been able to explore with an individual voice while feeling like she is a piece of something bigger.
IU is a great platform where you get to be a part of the community and still uniquely shape your path.
Vlada Lodesk, 2023 Global Citizen Scholarship winner
Lisa-Marie Hohenadl
Exchange student studying environmental geography, 2024
“I applied for the Global Citizen Scholarship because I have a passion for communication, storytelling, and embracing new challenges.” Lisa shares. An undergraduate exchange student from Germany, Lisa took classes across several departments in her semester at IU. Even though she had a short amount of time to explore Indiana she was able to forge lasting connections, as her video shows. Winning the scholarship allowed her to extend her stay and explore even more of the United States before returning to Germany to complete her degree. “Right now, I’m on a road trip at the west coast [of the US] with a former classmate and now good friend of mine that I met during my exchange program at IU.”
I’m so happy and thankful for everything that happened, from applying at IU until finishing the semester!
Lisa Hohenadl, 2023 Global Citizen Scholarship winner
The impact extends beyond the students themselves. Schrader shares why despite the challenges of selecting the finalists and winners why she continues to be a part of the committee. “This year’s winners demonstrated what really works – they allow us to understand, on a very personal level, what it feels like to be an international student; what they celebrate at IU; how they engage in the community; and what their hopes and dreams are for the future. They make us feel what a special place IU is to them. I’m gratified that we get to be a small part of making that happen for them.”
See all three winning videos on the Global Citizens Scholarship page.
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