Local awarded college scholarship

Shannon Curry of Newport Beach, a student at Pepperdine University, has been awarded a $2,500 Joseph R. Stone Scholarship by Tourism Cares.

The scholarship is part of the American Society of Travel Agents Scholarship Fund.

Curry was one of three winners across the United States and Canada to receive the scholarship, which benefits dependents of employees in the travel and tourism industry.

“Tourism Cares is delighted to present this scholarship to Shannon in recognition of her commitment to her education,” Bruce Beckham, executive director at Tourism Cares, said in a release.

Curry’s mother, a flight attendant for nearly 40 years, raised Curry with a sense of wonder and ongoing curiosity for the world and other cultures; she chose to study cross-cultural psychology.

Curry’s goal for the next five years is to continue to integrate psychology and culture, so that culturally responsive mental health care is accessible in violence-afflicted regions of the world.

“I am honored and grateful for the support the Tourism Cares Scholarship Selection Committee demonstrated in finding me worthy to receive the Joseph R. Stone Scholarship,” Curry said. “Their choice renews my belief in the purpose of my current research, and underscores my commitment to its success.

“I am inspired by Tourism Cares’ belief in this purpose, which I feel is representative of the travel industry’s heart — that is, to connect people around the world in a spirit of friendship, humility and hope.”

Curry is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology. She is expected to graduate in June 2011.