Did you know that President Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, graduated from Mercer Island High School and became a renowned anthropologist?  And that she took her first anthropology class at the University of Washington?

She went on to earn her Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Hawaii, but her passion for learning about other cultures and helping to improve the lives of marginalized communities around the world started right here on Mercer Island.

To honor this connection, the Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship Fund Board of Directors is holding its sixth annual Scholarship Award Ceremony for graduating MIHS women at the Burke Museum on the UW campus on May 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

This free event, which will be cohosted by the Department of Anthropology, is open to the Mercer Island community.

Doors open at 6 p.m. Guests are encouraged to come early to see the “Here and Now” exhibit of native artists which includes the wood carving that inspired the Seahawks logo. Light refreshments will be served.

The evening of celebration and learning will feature special guest speaker Bronwen Solyom, a Southeast Asian art scholar, curator and librarian at the University of Hawaii, who was a close friend of Stanley Ann Dunham.

They met in graduate school at UH and shared an interest in Indonesian traditional art and culture.

Their lives overlapped as they did research and fieldwork in small villages throughout Indonesia. Several years ago, Stanley Ann’s daughter, Dr. Maya-Soetoro Ng, asked Solyom to compile her mother’s papers for donation to the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian.

Solyom’s talk is titled “Archives and Friendship.”

Since its inception, the Scholarship Fund has awarded $5,000 college scholarships each year to outstanding graduating senior women at MIHS who have demonstrated a commitment to Stanley Ann’s values of social activism, global citizenship, and the empowerment of women through education and service.

“We believe that early recognition and support of these young scholars’ work will encourage them to continue on their path creating meaningful change as global citizens,” said Board Chair Clare Meeker.

An additional $500 award will be given this year to encourage those entering the field of anthropology to learn about and be inspired by Dunham’s remarkable life and work.

The UW Anthropology Department and the Stanley Ann Dunham Scholarship Fund are also jointly sponsoring an essay contest for UW anthropology majors. The winners will be announced at the evening’s event.