The Amelia Earhart Fellowship Committee evaluates applications and recommends candidates for lnternational Board approval, recommends eligibility criteria, evaluation standards and scoring of applicants, and suggests program improvements.
Amelia Earhart was born in 1897. Intelligent and focused, she was passionate about everything she did and excelled in most. Her passing fancy for airplanes, after attending her first air-show at the age of 11 years developed into a passion and she became a record - breaking female pilot. Determined to excel in everything, she was the first woman to make a solo transatlantic flight. Her disappearance remains a mystery till today.
With the signing of the Armistice after World War I ended on November 11 1918, some women of felt marginalized about the injustice they suffered. This led a group of likeminded women to form a group to make ,their voices heard.
"Formed in 1919, Zonta is an organization inspired by the ideal of membership based on accomplishment in business and professional world, and a goal of service to the immediate and world community."
Zonta is a native American word which means honesty, hard work and trustworthiness. As a committed social worker and feminist, Amelia Earhart was devoted and genuinely concerned about the status and upliftment of women. She pushed against obstacles until they gave way, worked towards the greater good.
She took risks and took the consequences as they fell. She was a role model when she was alive and remains a role model to this day. Amelia Earhart's bold and colourful life is forever woven into the fabric of Zonta.
"Amelia Earhart was a member of Zonta when it became Zonta International. Her life became intertwined with Zonta's life. With her disappearance in 1937, Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship Award came into being to honor her, which was in keeping with the Zonta philosophy of advancing the status of women.
"The fellowship programme provides financial support to talented women pursuing Doctoral degrees in Aerospace related sciences and engineering to help them achieve their educational goals."
Zonta has awarded a total of 1,358 Fellowships totaling US $7.8Million to women from 68 Countries. A two time recipient of the Fellowship, Sonia Hernandez, was born in Spain, and currently studying at the University of Texas, Austin.
As this example shows, fellowship awards cuts across race or country of origin. Fellowships award are truly international.