Tennessee Tech alumna Sherryl Byrd King has established a study abroad endowment to remove financial barriers for students seeking international travel experiences.
Byrd King said her 36-year career in higher education allowed her to witness firsthand how small costs like passport fees or airfare often prevented students from participating in global programs. Byrd King said she wanted to give back to the campus where her own career was defined by ensuring students from rural areas have the same opportunities she discovered later in life.
“I saw first-hand and learned first-hand that something like a passport, getting a passport which is $100-plus dollars, was prohibitive for some students,” Byrd King said. “They just couldn’t fork out that much money once they’d paid for tuition and books and room and board or whatever.”
Byrd King said the endowment is designed to take the financial stress off families, particularly for students who are Pell Grant eligible. Byrd King said she began her own international travel following a significant health issue at age 40, which prompted her to stop waiting for retirement to see the world.
“I hope it just opens that door that it takes the financial stress off,” Byrd King said. “Um, you know, some students, especially if they’re Pell Grant eligible, just really might have not have those additional funds.”
Byrd King said students who study abroad often return with a new enthusiasm for their academic majors and increased self-confidence. Byrd King said these experiences are structured with faculty members to provide a sense of order that students might not have if they traveled internationally on their own.
“They just came back so excited and so grateful and, you know, just couldn’t believe what they got to see and what they got to do and what they learned,” Byrd King said. “And oftentimes they’re earning academic credit if it’s a study abroad program, you know, within their academic major.”
Byrd King said her own path was shaped by a mentor at Tennessee Tech who offered her a graduate assistantship when she had no other plans after graduation. Byrd King said that single opportunity defined her entire professional life and she hopes this endowment serves as a similar catalyst for current students.
“It’ll open their eyes to so much more because the rest of the world is really not like America and that’s not good or bad, it’s just different,” Byrd King said. “We are a very large, very different country with really a short history compared to many places in the world.”
Byrd King said students should begin planning for study abroad early in their college careers by speaking with advisors and professors about available options.
