Freshman Biochemistry major Eduarda Stein Christ comes to TLU from Brazil through the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) International Women Leaders (IWL) Program. She is just one of 10 students studying in the U.S. through this program and the first IWL student for TLU.
As part of the ELCA International Leadership Development Program, IWL seeks to enhance the capacity of the global church for mission and ministry. According to their website, the program provides financial awards to support the short- and long-term academic training of established and emerging leaders in global companion churches and institutions.
The scholarship selection process is driven by the ELCA's global companion churches, who assess their current situations and goals to determine areas most in need of new, highly trained leadership. The companion church then selects and endorses candidates to receive scholarships.
Through her church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Confession in Brazil, Stein Christ was able to work with her companion church in Texas to obtain scholarships and funding to enroll at TLU.
She has even created her own newsletter detailing what her first semester as a Bulldog has been like, including her time in the chemistry lab and attending her first football game.