The distinguished Louis DeJoy and Aldona Z. Woś Family Foundation Scholarship has been awarded to one student in 2024-25: Amandalynne Davis.
This scholarship was established in 2017 through a generous grant of $1 million from Louis DeJoy and Amb. Aldona Woś, President of IWP. The grant makes it possible for IWP students to receive up to full tuition per semester. To become recipients of the scholarship, students must demonstrate outstanding academic, professional, or personal achievement; they must also have a history of leadership or a potential for leadership. Each student must be enrolled in at least ten credits a semester, have an overall potential to thrive in their courses, and have an appreciation for the mission of IWP. It is expected that each of the recipients succeeds in their academics, strives to be active members of the IWP community, and demonstrates a spirit of dedicated service and civic duty.
Amandalynne Davis was the student who demonstrated each of the necessary attributes in the 2024-25 school year, and she was awarded a $50,000 Louis DeJoy and Aldona Z. Woś Family Foundation Scholarship.
In the past eight years, 21 students have received this scholarship. The students to receive the inaugural award were Helen Lamm and Isaac Brocato in 2017. In 2018, Christopher, Gabrielle, Emily, and Jennifer received the award. The following year, Braeden, Donald, and Sarah were awarded the scholarship. In 2020, Holt and Parker received it. The next year, the recipients were Francisco Pérez, Angelica, and Matthew. In 2022, Ashton Earl, Robert Bankowski, and Jacob Bosen received this generous gift. The 2023 recipients were Peace Ajirotutu, Amanda Clark, and Anders Jensen.
This year’s recipient, Amandalynne Davis, is originally from central Illinois. She spent the past four years at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA, and graduated last May with a B.A. in International Security Studies and International Relations with a minor in Political Science. Amandalynne pursued this route because she had a passion for public service. She spent her undergraduate years working at Duquesne as a Director of First Year Orientation, a Mission Program Assistant, and a student leader on talks about current affairs and on trips to Tanzania.
It was through her work at Duquesne that she realized she wanted to make a career out of meeting people where they are and walking alongside them. This led Amandalynne to pursue an M.A. with The Institute of World Politics in Statecraft and National Security Affairs.
She is most interested in cultural diplomacy and responsible crisis response. Her plan is to focus her master’s degree on public diplomacy, but regionally she is concentrating on Africa (specifically East Africa). Amandalynne has been happy to see the development taking place at IWP in the course offerings about Africa. In her undergraduate studies, her research focused on religion in international security, ethnic conflict, extremist groups, North Korean relations, data privacy, and, of course, East African affairs. Amandalynne hopes to use her master’s degree to continue learning about African-U.S. relations and to support positive relationships in the region.
Amandalynne commented, “I am beyond thankful for this generous scholarship from Ambassador Woś and Mr. DeJoy. Without their generosity, this degree would not be possible for me. I am not only here for myself but also the communities I aim to serve—Amb. Woś and Mr. DeJoy’s willingness to support my education is incredibly humbling and demonstrates their selflessness and dedication to a safer tomorrow. Their belief in me is not something I take lightly; I am eternally grateful for this opportunity.”
IWP is grateful for this scholarship and for the support of The Louis DeJoy and Aldona Z. Woś Family Foundation.