Walton International Scholarship Program
"If we want future leaders of Central America to know the benefits of a free society, we need to get large numbers of the student generation up here to the United States. The students will learn skills... that will encourage democratic traditions and private development of their countries."— Sam Walton
Helen Walton with one of the more than 800 Latin American students who have achieved U.S. college degrees as Walton International Scholars.
The Walton International Scholarship Program (WISP) promotes democracy and free enterprise in Latin America by enabling qualified low-income students to earn a college degree in the United States, learn first-hand about individual initiative and free enterprise, and experience the benefits of living in an open and democratic society. The ultimate goal is for students to return home with the skills and the desire to have a positive impact on the private sector of their nations' economies.
Each scholarship covers tuition, fees, room and board at one of three universities — Harding, John Brown, and University of the Ozarks — as well as travel to and from the student's home country and a personal spending allowance. Since 1985, Walton International Scholarships have made it possible for more than a thousand students from Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama to attend college in the United States.
Of the more than 800 students who have graduated so far, nearly 700 are now working in their home countries, fulfilling Sam Walton's vision. Some teach or hold leadership positions in their countries' schools and education ministries, including a John Brown alum who teaches economics majors about entrepreneurship, free markets, fair competition, and business ethics. One WISP graduate is now paying two siblings' high school tuition; a Harding and an Ozarks alum are each now sending their siblings to college at their alma maters; and another Harding graduate is working with ex-classmates and professors to raise funds to enable poor kids to attend school in Honduras. A WISP graduate who was the first in her village to get a university degree is now working to start a school in her village; another directs an American organization that supports Guatemalan medical students, who then run health clinics upon graduation; and yet another has established a trade school to provide kids from broken homes a way to earn a living.
One WISP graduate is working with USAID in Guatemala, helping Quiche Indians learn about sustainable technology, and another is working with USAID in El Salvador. WISP graduates work in their home countries' education, interior and justice departments; one heads the national tourist council, another the literacy council, and a third the Chamber of Commerce. They work for the World Bank, international NGOs, and local, national and multinational corporations. And many are entrepreneurs, starting and managing a wide variety of businesses, including computer sales and repair; food, clothing and toy retailers; marketing and consulting companies; ecotourism; restaurants; coffee exporting; and an internet café. One, who founded a successful auto parts company, has become the first WISP graduate to be elected to the University of the Ozarks' Board of Trustees.
Visit the Walton International Scholarship Program Web site.