“The Jessica Lutton Bedient Scholarship gave me the opportunity to study and volunteer in the nation of Rwanda. There, I was able to not only study the nation's history, but also how the country and its people and society were able to move forward from its dark past into a brighter future. I saw this future being cultivated firsthand as the Bedient Scholarship helped me to seek out a service project helping impoverished women learn English in a vocational school.“
Sophia Loveless
Jessica Lutton Bedient was passionate about experiencing other cultures and serving others.
Bedient, a 26-year-old newlywed, died on Oct. 13, 2010, four days after she and her husband, Tony Bedient, were in a traffic accident in Omaha.
To honor her life, a study abroad scholarship was established in her memory.
To allow others to pursue their educational dreams, Jessica's parents, David and Susan Lutton of Ashland, established the scholarship with the help of memorial gifts from family members and friends.
The permanently endowed fund provides annual scholarships for students in the Forsythe Family Program in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs program. The fund helps cover travel and related expenses of students pursuing a minor in Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs who, as part of their capstone experience within the minor, may choose to complete a service learning project abroad. Virtual International Programs offered through the UNL Education Abroad office do qualify for this scholarship.