Meet the 2026 Rick A. Ruth Scholars
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CIEE established the Rick A. Ruth BridgeUSA Summer Work Travel Scholarship to build bridges of mutual understanding between America and countries with significant Muslim populations.
The Rick A. Ruth Scholarship honors Rick’s lifelong commitment to building bridges of mutual respect between Americans and the world during his 40 years of public service at the U.S. Department of State. In a special way, Rick championed public diplomacy between the United States and the Muslim world informed by his many visits to countries with significant Muslim populations where he experienced a special warmth and genuine welcome wherever he traveled.
The 2026 Ruth Scholars were selected for their strong commitment to civic engagement and a desire to foster goodwill between the United States and their home countries. Originally from Thailand and Türkiye, they spent the summer helping American businesses thrive in ten different communities from coast to coast.
Ruth Scholars also gathered in Wisconsin Dells this August to participate in CIEE’s Young Civic Leadership Summit, a program that hones intercultural skills and techniques to create positive change in the world. While in Wisconsin they met with Rick Ruth who welcomed the Scholars and delivered an inspiring message of peace and mutual respect, sharing, “In America, we don’t hate anyone, we hate hatred.”
For powerful reflections from Rick and the Scholars, watch this video.
About BridgeUSA: Established as part of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, BridgeUSA is a powerful economic and public diplomacy program that contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy annually, extends the US tourism season by an average of 50 days, and creates thousands of jobs for Americans, while simultaneously providing international students and Americans the opportunity to learn from one another and develop mutual understanding that advances peace in our world.