Chay Scholars
Educational support for children of parents in service
Elementary, middle and high school students with a genuine interest in healthcare, whose parents are in long‑term service — missions, military, first responders, humanitarian, development, educational or diplomatic — in the United States or overseas, and who have trouble getting tutoring, test preparation or college guidance.
About the program
Academic support for students who want it and cannot reach it
Chay Scholars pays for the academic help that a motivated student cannot get where they live.
The students we serve are not behind for lack of ability or effort. They are studying in places where the ordinary things — a tutor for the subject a parent cannot teach, a practice exam, a proctored test center — either do not exist nearby or cost more than a family in long‑term service can spend on them.
What is available varies by country, by city and by family. One student has a test center down the road and nobody who can teach the subject they are struggling with. There is no typical case, which is why we ask rather than assume.
We want to help make that access possible. What that means depends on the student — a tutor for the subject that is hardest to reach, the exam fees and the books.
There is no income test. We ask what academic help a student can reach where they live, and we pay for what is missing.
How this started. In 2026 we met missionary families in the Dominican Republic during an unrelated mission trip providing dental services. Like all children, the children of missionary families have dreams and interests, but they may lack the financial resources or a mentor to guide them. Chay Scholars came out of that experience.
Beginning in 2026, we are starting with the children of missionary families in the Dominican Republic. Our goal is to reach students of every background whose parents serve.
High school scholarship. Since 2017, the foundation has given scholarships to high school students. Each year, one scholarship now goes to a local high school student whose parent serves in the military or as a first responder. Details, including requirements and deadlines, will follow; in the meantime, write to [email protected] with any questions.
What you do for other people matters more than what you do for yourself.
The principle Kyu lived by
What a place usually covers
These are the usual items. What a particular student needs is agreed with them at the start of the year.
We pay providers directly wherever we can — the tutor, the College Board, the bookseller, the school. Where a family has already paid something themselves, an exam fee for instance, we reimburse them against the receipt.
- TutoringTutoring in the subject you need most, with a tutor you choose together with your foundation contact.
- ExamsSAT, PSAT and AP fees, including the extra fee the College Board charges to sit an exam outside the United States.
- MaterialsBooks and a calculator — bought digitally where possible, or bought locally and reimbursed against the receipt.
What we provide
Excellent study material already exists and costs nothing anywhere in the world — Khan Academy’s official SAT practice and Schoolhouse.world’s tutoring are both free.
What a student abroad needs is the rest of it: a tutor and the fee for the exam. That is what we provide.
What an award is
Agreed with each student at the start of the year, and set down in writing so everyone knows what has been committed to. Renewal depends on attendance and effort.
How we decide
Two stages, so nobody is judged on something they cannot control.
- FirstEligibility. Three things, and all three have to be true. Is a parent in long-term service, in the United States or overseas? Is there a real barrier between you and ordinary academic support — no tutor locally, no counselor who knows U.S. admissions? And is there a genuine interest in healthcare — nursing, medicine, dentistry, surgery or another health profession? This part is yes or no.
- ThenYour own words. Among everyone eligible, we read the student’s written statement and watch their video. We are looking for what you want and whether you will show up for it. Film it on a phone — that is all it needs to be.
- WhoA selection committee of at least three people, none related to any applicant, against published criteria, with the decision recorded in writing.
How tutors are chosen
- TogetherThe student picks a tutor with their foundation contact, using the tutoring site we provide.
- KnownThe parent or guardian and the foundation contact always know who the tutor is and when sessions are.
- On the siteAll sessions and messages with the tutor stay on that tutoring site.
Staying in touch
Each student meets once a month with their foundation contact to talk about what they worked on and how it is going.
Support is given one term at a time. Before renewing, we look at attendance and effort.
Apply
How to apply
We add a new student each time donors fully fund one student’s support. That way, every promise we make to a child is one we can keep.
What the application asks for
- A few questions about the help you need: why you need it now, which subjects, and what you hope we can do.
- Three short written answers, about 150 to 250 words each: why you are interested in healthcare, a challenge you have faced, and where you want to be a year from now.
- A short video, two minutes or less, uploaded to YouTube as Unlisted. A phone video is fine.
- One reference from a teacher, tutor or adviser.
- Contact information for a parent or guardian.
Coming soon
Applications open soon
We are getting ready to welcome our first students. To hear when applications open, email us and we will add you to the list.