Rebecca L. Lynch Memorial Scholarship

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What does the scholarship get me?

Non-resident tuition fees, registration fees, and room and board are covered by the scholarship.

Closing dates for applications

Next: 31 August 2021

Length of award

1 year

Number of awards offered

One

Purpose of award

This application is for a one-year period of undergraduate study at the University of Idaho, USA from January to December.

Selection criteria

Recipients must:
• have New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency;
• be an unmarried female;
• be under 24 years of age;
• be enrolled in their first or second year of university study;
• be an undergraduate at the time of taking up the scholarship.

How do students apply?

Download an Application form HERE
Scholarship Page
Application Form

How and when do students learn of the decision?

Notification by mail.

Decision makers

A sub-committee of NZFGW.

History or background of award

Rebecca (Becky) L Lynch was born 9 April 1960 in Virginia, USA.  She and her family moved to Christchurch, New Zealand in 1964.  Maurice (Mo), her father, was a US Marine Corps pilot and part of Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic supporting the US National Science Foundation. 

After Mo retired from the military, the family moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 1969, where Mo was a pilot with East African Airways.  It was there the Lynch family changed forever.  Becky died in a traffic car accident in 1970. 

Heavy-hearted, the Lynches decided to change their careers and returned to Moscow, Idaho in 1971 to attend graduate school while their remaining three children (Lisa, Chris and Tim) were undergraduate students.  They befriended several foreign exchange students and acted as their family away-from-home.  Through this experience, the Lynches were shown the benefits of studying abroad.

Rebecca spent the best years of her short life in New Zealand, and it seemed fitting to give Kiwi girls an American opportunity—and therein began the Rebecca L Lynch Memorial Scholarship.

In 1983 the first scholarship was awarded.  By 2020, 45 young Kiwi women have been given the opportunity to study at the U of I through the Rebecca L Lynch Memorial Scholarship. 

In 2016 Mo and Alice were made Honorary Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education, providing financial support to young women to study in the USA.

Additional information

The Nelson Branch of NZFGW provides the Selection Committee for this scholarship; the administration expenses of this committee are paid by NZFGW. The scholarship fund is invested in USA and the University of Idaho administers the scholarship.

For guidelines, application forms and more information about this award contact

Lisa Lynch
RLL Memorial Scholarship Selection Committee
Graduate Women North Shore Charitable Trust
64 Renwick Place, Nelson 7010
llynchtheboss@gmail.com

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure the above information is current and correct. However, applicants should contact the appropriate administering body before making an application, as details do change frequently. The administrator of this record last updated this information in September 2020.