Joan Lara Graduate Scholarships
Joan was born in Canada, but grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an undergraduate degree in Spanish and a minor in French. She felt “at home” in places like Bolivia and Greece because of her deep empathy for others and their positive response to her. At the University of Iowa, Joan worked in the President’s office. There and elsewhere on campus and in the Iowa City community, she was active in meeting and supporting others, especially international students and scholars. On numerous occasions, Joan and her family hosted gatherings in their home at which they warmly welcomed guests from a wide variety of cultures.
Joan was loving and warm – a good friend who listened thoughtfully and cared deeply for others. She was loved for her openness and sense of humor and she was respected for the strong principles and sense of justice she demonstrated in her relationship with others.
The Joan Lara Graduate Scholarship Fund at the University of Iowa was established by family and friends in memory of Joan. Its purpose is to support outstanding and promising students as they travel while they conduct research, present their research, or participate in courses abroad.
Recent receipients:
Noah Haas - Winterim 2010-2011
My experience in India was nothing short of amazing. I felt like I packed more living into those three weeks than I have in entire seasons. I've gotten to do a fair share of traveling in my life, but no country I've been to can compare to the vibrancy of India. Visually, India is amazing. There are so many colors, so many people, that it can be overwhelming. I've been to Beijing before, but even that mega-city does not compare to the mass of humanity that can be found in Delhi. I also got to ride some trains and buses through the countryside, witnessing some of the most amazing landscapes I've ever seen. As a geographer, going to India really enhanced my ideas concerning the scales and magnitudes present on this planet. When you walk down one block and you see thousands of new faces, it suddenly dawns on you that the sheer size of this world's population is beyond comprehension. Seeing so many people living, working, and interacting with each other was truly awe-inspiring.
India was also such a rich place culturally. I have never seen so many smiling people any place I've gone. The Deendayal Research Institute was the organization that my class worked with and their kindness and resourcefulness renewed my faith in the ability of NGOs to make a difference. They took a very interesting approach to sustainable development that is effective, yet unlike that of any other organization that I've heard of. They focus on bottom-up rural development implementing ideas and methods that stay true to indigenous knowledge and traditions. Their ideas were very interesting and gave me a news perspective on how sustainability can be approached at the village/community level.
To summarize, the India Winterim was a life changing experience that opened my eyes to new cultures, peoples, and ideas. It will stay with me for the rest of my days.
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Joan Lara international Travel award Recipient during 2006-2007
student in the Department of Geography at the University of Iowa. I wish to extend my heartfelt thanksfor the funding that was endowed to me in the winter of 2007 when I participated in a course to observe microfinance in Tamilnadu, India.The funding not only supported the logistical costs of the trip, but also assisted in paying course fees so that I could earn credit for the work I produced. As a result of the Joan Lara scholarship, I was able to engage in conversations with microfinance borrowers in rural and urban India, and gain a better understanding of issues facing the poor. The experiences I reaped from the trip indelibly changed my life and opened my eyes to the ongoing issues of gender, development, human rights, and health. In fact, the experience weighed so heavily upon me that I decided to pursue microfinance for my M.A. thesis and returned to Tamilnadu to conduct follow-up research. I ended up producing 40 case studies and deploying a mass questionnaire of 1,087 microfinance borrowers—all of which was made possible by the Joan Lara scholarship. I have now completed my M.A. thesis, in which I constructively criticized the topics of women’s empowerment, agriculture, and health and healthcare. Although I have moved on to my Ph.D., the world of microfinance remains close to my heart, and my M.A. thesis and its accompanying experiences would have been unattainable without your generous support. I have attached a short case study and photos to give you a glimpse of the data I was able to gather as a result of the Joan Lara scholarship:
Renuka and her employees stitch the upper portion of shoes and sell them to a company. The company purchases soles from other producers. The company then combines the two pieces to create a finished product and exports them to Europe. Renuka had always been making shoes, but with a series of microfinance loans she was able to turn a business for survival into a profitable business with five employees.
“Before the loans I was making shoes but it was hard to operate the business because it was difficult to purchase materials.When I sold the shoes to the company they gave me a check, but the check wouldn’t come until two or three days later. Meanwhile, I couldn’t make any more shoes because I couldn’t purchase more materials until the check arrived. There was always a delay in the business because of this. I used to earn $71 per month before the loans.”
“Because of the loans I am able to purchase materials when they are needed and I was able to hire workers to help me make the shoes. I have money to pay my workers on the spot. This makes the workers very happy because they need the money too. With the first loan I bought materials and expanded my production. With the next loans I hired workers and I now have five employees; we all make shoes together. I pay each worker $1.90 per pair of shoes they produce. I get paid $2.38 per pair when I sell them to the shoe company. Out of that I give my employee $1.90, so I earn 48 cents per pair. I am able to pay my workers for their production at the end of each day. I now make between $238-285 per month.”
“My standard of living has improved. I used to have nominal food two times a day. Now I get milk, eggs, and sometimes meat, and I always eat three times a day. I regularly visit the doctor for checkups and I am in the process of building a bigger house right now. I will move there in a couple months and then I will rent out my current house. I wasn’t that respected before, but now I have five workers and people look up to me as a businesswoman. I am also responsible for helping friends and other women receive microfinance loans and they really appreciate that.” |
Matt Bekker Grace Chen Amy Ruggles Jane Moeckli Randel Harrison |
Consuelo Guayara Chetan Tiwari Yu Zeng Susana Cortina de Cardenas |
