Our Students Tell Us....
What is it like to travel independently to the UK to participate in an all expenses paid BAFTX program?
What do our scholars get out of it and why is it life-changing?
Amenda Abi Saab, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
Receiving the BAFTX Scholarship is an incredible honor, and I’m deeply grateful for this support! This award not only helps ease the financial burdens of my education... but also inspires me to keep pushing forward in pursuit of my dream-to become a surgeon. Medicine has always been a calling for me, and surgery in particular, represents the perfect intersection of skill precision and compassion with this scholarship I can devote more time to my studies, that will one day allow me to make a real difference in people's lives through surgery. Thank you for believing in my future!!
Vivian Nguyen, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
To me, this award is a sign of my hard work and an opportunity to both feel living independently and a way to meet and bond with a wide range of people from different places with different mindsets all connected for a love of stem and drive for success. This experience will give me valuable insight on living abroad, connecting with various people an invaluable once-in-lifetime learning experience, and most importantly will undoubtedly open my mind and widen my mindset!
Amy Lee, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
Thank you so much for granting me this opportunity to further my studies and passion for biology! I am extremely grateful for this scholarship. Through this award, I can attend the LIYSF burden free. I know for a fact that the LIYSF will serve as an important experience not only for college/college applications but also further on in my life such as for my future occupation once again I appreciate y'all so much for awarding me the BAFTX international STEM Program Award.
Blessing Akinloye, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
The international stem program means a lot to me. I will be able to travel out of the country (which I never imagined doing) meet many new people, and share ideas with people that have a different education background, and understanding than me.
Thank you so much for giving me and my sisters. the opportunity!!!
Cynthia Lo, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
Coming from a low-income family, I knew I was going to have to be dedicated in my academics to be able to have a chance to go to opportunities like this. As cliche as it Is, this in an opportunity of a lifetime and I am beyond excited to go on the LIYSF trip. I hope to meet / make new friends and learn from knowledgeable and well credible officials. This program will also let me explore a subject or find a new subject I’m passionate in. Thank you BAFTX for giving me a chance to make a difference in the world starting with this trip.
Kimberly Chan, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
This is more than an award but rather an opportunity.
With this award doors have opened to me and I hope that they continue to grow wider. It has allowed me to strive for my passion which is engineering and has and will contribute to my success in the near future. Thank you so much for this opportunity because I've been given an opportunity that I don't intend on wasting.
Arpan Dutta, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
It is life changing to get an opportunity to visit Britain while being able to connect with so many like-minded scholars to discuss and learn about STEM. Furthermore, I will get to experience so many cultures leaving me with such an unforgettable experience. I cannot overstate how much it means for BAFTX to be sponsoring something so cool.
John Tran, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
I'm extremely grateful for this life-changing opportunity that will shape my future. There's no amount of words I can say to thank the people who have chosen me for this opportunity. I'll be able to build lifelong connections and memories throughout this event, meet like-minded individuals, and an unforgettable STEM experience in London!
Priscilla Kramer, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
This award allows me to expand my horizons and be in a completely different environment out of my comfort zone.
I have always been passionate about STEM and this is an absolutely incredible experience that I get to be a part of. The 2 weeks will give me total independence and I am ecstatic to learn as much as humanly possible.
Kasey Reyes, BAFTX International STEM scholar 2025
This Award means that I will cross those limits put on my life due to stereotypes and discrimination. I will be the first in my family to visit and study in the UK, and I know it will impact me in ways I cannot fathom.
This Award means I will meet Nobel prize winners and friends from over 50+ countries I never thought I could achieve this and it opened doors that I never thought would be there in the first place. Thank you for giving me my voice, my power and this experience - Kasey Reyes.
Valeria Perez, BAFTX Junior Achiever 2023
Cristina Juarez, Pat & Kevin Mitchell Junior Achiever 2023
I feel like I gained new knowledge about myself and feel like I am capable of traveling alone more often. I want to travel the entire world and meet as many people as possible in this lifetime.
Maria Garcia, Tim horner Junior Achiever 2023
This trip has definitely changed my outlook. I have become more social, as a girl growing into a woman I feel more confident and independent. I have new ambitions for myself and my future self, which are to travel if I have the opportunity to and never be afraid to try something new.
Emily Maldonado, BAFTX Junior Achiever Award 2023
I am very grateful for this scholarship, coming from a low-income, first-generation household, this aid / funding is a crucial opportunity that I could not refuse. Not many opportunities like this are seen every day. I would like to give a big thank you to donors and BAFTX for allowing me to have this wonderful summer opportunity with the privilege of not worrying about costs. I am excited about the new networks / connections and leaders that I will meet during this journey.
Emily Lopez, Enterprise Products Partners Junior Achiever Award 2023
My trip means a beginning to what I want to accomplish one day once I’ve met my goal. I want to help others and bring hope through biomedical engineering. After that I want to travel with my family gaining new experiences and knowledge about the world. I am extremely happy I have been given the opportunity to do so before I reach my ultimate goal and am glad I could meet the wonderful people behind it. Definitely will be looking into more from BAFTX.
Cristina Juarez, Pat and Kevin Mitchell Junior Achiever Award 2023
This award kickstarts my journey of traveling the world and getting to see every opportunity that is out there for me. I am excited to explore the UK and accomplish all my career goals.
Angie Alvarez, Junior Achiever 2022
Sara Mai, Junior Achiever 2021
I gained more knowledge and personal confidence. It made me realized that even though people all have different cultures, we are not really that much different and it made me realize the closeness I share with people all around the world. Additionally, the experience of traveling on my own without the presence of my parents made me more independent and confident that I can achieve my ambitions and overcome all obstacles that comes in front of me.
Anh Thy Nguyen, Junior Achiever 2021
The experience I gained from the program inspires me to seek and explore more opportunities to travel outside of the United States. I hope to travel alone or with family to experience newer sites in other countries to satiate both my curiosity and passion for learning. Furthermore, I felt that I have developed a greater sense of confidence and independence after staying in the United Kingdom for nearly two weeks, and I hope to pave a journey much greater than my home back in Houston, Texas. I’m truly grateful for the experience I received, and I feel much more assured in myself knowing that there is so much left in the world to see and learn from.
Allison oballe, Junior Achiever 2022
I feel that at first, I was very scared and anxious to be in an unknown place but after being there for a short amount of time I loved every single moment of it. I had some culture shocks, learned that the people there my age weren't so different, and that what makes a place special is the people that you are there with.
Jaquelin Franco, Junior Achiever 2022
Through this program I definitely gained a new sense of autonomy that I didn't quite have before. I was expecting to be extremely homesick the whole time or feel some type of imposter syndrome. Nonetheless, this was not the case. Everyday provided an enjoyable experience in which I felt independent and ready to take in the British sights. I also learned a lot more about the world through this experience. I came to realize that there are other cultures out there and it was amazing to be able to have some exposure to them. All in all, this program opened up my eyes to the world that could be found outside of Houston, Texas. I know that I will never forget these two weeks and that I will use them as a catalyst for traveling more in the future.
Georgette Djenadoum, Junior Achiever 2022
This program has changed my perspective on how I viewed the world, to embrace those who are different from me, and motivated me to keep an open mind and travel the world more in the future. It promoted confidence within myself to appreciate the young woman I am and to love the woman I am becoming and become more independent, but also leave room to learn from others. It allowed me to acknowledge and seize every opportunity that’s opened up to me and as for my ambitions, it’s taught me to work hard for everything I strive for and to appreciate the journey.
Edna Gutierrez, Junior Achiever 2019
A part of me always thought that by being Hispanic and from a low income family, I wouldn't be able to go out of state for college or even just travel. But this scholarship really made me realize that there is so much our world has to offer and that I want to experience it.
When I came back from our trip many of my neighbors said "I bet now she wants to go to Greece and France and many more" as a joke, but the truth is, I really do and now I can see myself traveling in the future.
In addition, before this trip colleges in London weren't even on my list, but now I'm looking into other colleges out of state and even out of the country.
Christine Cao, Junior Achiever 2019
After going to London, I could describe the way I felt afterwards in one word: empowered. I feel that there is a whole other side of the world that I have never been to and if I work hard enough and put forth the effort to do so, I have the ability to explore those parts of the world and really make an impact wherever I end up. England was beautiful and I was surrounded by people who had the same ambition and drive as I do even though we all came from such different parts of the world and different backgrounds. It was nice to hear that I wasn't the only one who was anxious about the next step after high school. It was also very refreshing to gain a sense of the "real world" outside of my hometown. I feel that it helped me find myself and the setting I would like to be a part of in college. I also feel more confident as I begin my college application process. Overall, I am grateful and I now know that I have the ability to go wherever and be whatever I would like, the possibilities are limitless!
Milton Rodriguez, Junior Achiever 2019
This experience has affected my life as I see that there is much more to the world than our country. I benefited from this scholarship by learning British culture, politics, and art. I learned that there are always doors for everything, you just need to know how to look for them.
Allison Azuara, Junior Achiever 2019
This experience has changed my life because it has opened my eyes to all that the world and that life has to offer. I feel as if before I was so limited to just my surroundings, but after visiting England, I was able to see first hand all the beauty and rich history, this which only pushed me and inspired me to do more and to not underestimate my abilities. The future has so much to offer and I can’t allow my insecurities prevent me from being able to explore new places and learn new things .
Nathan Tutop, Junior Achiever 2019
I now know that I am well enough capable to be away from home, especially as far as across the Atlantic. This scholarship has shown me that there is so much more to life than just the confines of my state, or even country, and that opportunity is available even in places that are foreign and unknown. All it takes is “a leap of faith” to step outside our comfort zones.
Diana Olmos, Junior Achiever 2018
Thanks to this wonderful opportunity, I have learned that I have the ability to conquer and achieve anything I want. I learned that limitations are figments of our own insecurities, that I can go above and beyond to achieve the impossible. I found out how incredible it feels to learn from collaboration and shared experiences. I made friends that have widened my perspective. I have experienced the fulfillment that independence gives you. During my time in London, I realized that my love for learning and love for education brought me there. The experience really revitalized my desire to continue my education and share my passions with the world. I am now ready to begin the next chapter of my life at a college/university, and share what I have learned with my community.
Ruth Beaubrun, Junior Achiever 2018
I gained knowledge about British culture that I could never discover in school, and because of this, my desire to major in international relations has increased tenfold.
Ahmad Elhajj, Junior Achiever 2018
This scholarship benefited me by motivating me to do better in school, so I can attend more trips, or to just be a successful individual who can travel the world and experience foreign cultures. Therefore, I can’t thank you all enough for this life changing experience.
Dieungoc Nguyen, Junior Achiever 2018
The biggest takeaway was certainly that I can excel at being independent. This trip has been life-changing not only that I was seeing pretty sights around me but it was more confidence in myself and my abilities to rise above my insecurities and self-consciousness. My future feels brighter and I feel brighter.
Rebecca Zamora, Junior Achiever 2016
The “British Summer Programme” I attended thanks to the generosity of the people who sponsored the Junior Achiever Scholarship awarded to me a few months ago, in addition to intensifying my love for history gave me the opportunity to experience the European culture in a way I do not think any other 17 year old from a low-income household like me would.
I am beyond grateful for this amazing one-in-a-lifetime opportunity and, as I mentioned to my parents and friends a life changing experience, I had been deeply interested in history before this summer program but never had I considered to be a passion for me- something I would like to study more in depth in the future.
Leslie Vergara, Junior Achiever 2016
I am so grateful for BAFTX because I was able to make lifetime friendships!! Studying abroad has also allowed me to talk to strangers easily! I now know that I will be able to live on my own in college! Experiencing programs now as freshmen, sophomores or juniors will give you all courage to actually do study abroad in college. It was an amazing opportunity that I will never forget or regret!
Madelaine Heaven, Junior Achiever 2014
The BAFTX trip was an immensely formative experience for me, and came right at a time when I was still figuring out how to navigate the world on my own. The program opened my eyes to cultures and opinions that sometimes directly contrasted my own worldview up to that point, and as a result, made me a much more open-minded and considerate adult. My father was English and did a great deal of travelling when he was younger, so I grew up hearing all of his stories, but I would never have been able to experience any of it for myself had I not been sponsored by BAFTX. That experience has resulted in my returning to the UK (travelling up and down the island) for at least a month every year since the trip, and pushed me to apply for a whole host of scholarships and programs I never would have dreamed of beforehand. I am now a Terry Scholar at Texas A&M Galveston, with a full ride all four years of university-- including a stipend for a semester abroad that I will be taking next year. I am a Community Leader (a university job), an officer in the Terry Organisation, and a leader on campus.
BAFTX allowed me to dream, then gave me the tools to make those dreams a reality.
Donald Peacock, Junior Achiever 2015
Traveling to London for 12 days allowed me to understand the true meaning of art and inspiration so I as a person achieve greater hold on life. Within our trips, we saw memorials, statues, jewels, and more. I will never be able to forget this experience and will forever reign on my heart as the best experience of my life. On this trip we visited The Blank, this engaging performance showed me what it took to be a part of England's opera and amazed me to the point to help me decide that theatre is a wonderful major to pursue. I would like to genuinely thank you for all of your efforts for students like me. Without your help, I wouldn't have been flying for 11 hours to London on an international flight. You have helped a hot-headed boy with lollipop dreams turn into a traveling scholar and become a functional not ornamental asset to my school.
Linda K Valadez, Junior Achiever 2012
In 2012 I was accepted to the BAFTX Junior Achievers program and I have been in debt to BAFTX ever since. I come from a small Texan town called Houston, you might have heard of it; Houston was my world before I got the chance to travel--rarely getting the opportunity to travel and leave the small bubble that North Houston can be. Never in my young adult life could I have ever dreamed of going to England, but BAFTX made it happen; BAFTX made it happen for this unlikely traveler. Coming from a blue collar family, being able to leave the borders of beltway 8 was monumental to me. The cultural and academic exposure I gained through BAFTX is unparalleled to any other experience I've had since. I am currently embarking my Senior year at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, 1,547 miles away from home. My horizons have only further expanded after my experience in England. Thank you BAFTX for all your support!"
Jackie Khong, Junior Achiever
Since my journey to London as a Junior Achiever, I discovered a passion for studying different cultures. This passion led me to study abroad in Costa Rica and Japan, and to obtain a degree in International Studies of Commerce (minor in Japanese). I observed how language barriers can prevent people from receiving help from authorities. This was a factor that led me to attend law school. I developed a desire to assist low income individuals who need access to our legal system, but struggle with language barriers. As of 2018, I recently graduated from law school, and continue to work with the Family Violence Law Center to help individuals from various cultural backgrounds in obtaining a restraining order against domestic violence abusers.
Jasmin Douglas, Junior Achiever 2008
Thank you all for giving me this chance to enjoy this magnificent experience! This opportunity may never again come for me in this lifetime. I am now more social, responsible, and have developed leadership skills, of which I never dreamed possible. I now have a yearning to meet new people, try new things, and dream new ideas. The people I have met on this trip, from all over the world, have become pen pals, lifelong friends and even relationship counselors. Not only has this been a meaningful trip, but it has been a privilege and an honor! I am now set apart from the average female college applicant, I now have something on my resume which shows my seeking of knowledge and my love of history and politics. With deepest thanks, "
R. Resendiz, Junior Achiever 2008
Thank you for allowing me the pleasure to visit the United Kingdom. I feel I learned an abundance of information about the British culture and got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This experience definitely changed my life by giving me a glance to what I might want to become in the future."
Whitney Petty, Graduate Scholar
Some how I hope you understand what your contribution to my education has meant to not only me, but my family. Your support of my education is an incredible gift for which we are forever grateful.
J. Hoskins, Junior Achiever 2007
This experience was more than I ever could have imagined and more than I ever would have dreamt. My trip to London has defined my growth and expansion as a student and a young adult. I can honestly say this was the most wonderful experience I could have attained.
L. Johnson, Junior Achiever 2007
The trip to the UK has given me a better understanding of Britain's culture and history. I loved the day trips to new places - they were fun as well as educational. We saw amazing buildings and the scenery was so beautiful, I wish I could have watched it all day! While on this trip I made some great friends. I will never forget the time I spent in London
Brenda Serpas, Junior Achiever
This scholarship has been an array of benefits. Through this scholarship I have experienced things that are extremely educational and useful for my life ahead. I've learned about different cultures and customs which have heavily influenced my perspective of the world. Through this experience I made wonderful friends as well. I feel like I have improved my communication skills. The things I have seen will help me with future subjects at school whether it's regarding art or history. This whole experience has broadened my ability to assimilate to different countries and cultures, which will aid me in my future endeavors.
Joi Bartholomew, Junior Achiever 2002
My life was completely and utterly transformed courtesy of the scholarship that I received that summer from BABC [who awarded Junior Achiever scholarships prior to the launch of BAFTX in 2006]. I graduated from Lamar High School in 2003 with the International Baccalaureate diploma, went on to graduate from Occidental College (where I participated on a couple of study abroad programs) with a BA in Diplomacy and World Affairs, and then graduated with an MA in International Studies from Goldsmiths College, University of London in 2010. I now serve as an Academic Advisor in the Bauer College of Business, University of Houston where I advise undergraduate business students on learning abroad opportunities. My entire personal and professional trajectory has been courtesy of the kindness and generosity of BABC and the scholarship donors.