A Lesson from Sri Lanka (and a Resolution for 2026)
Reflection, friend.
A few weeks back, my phone served up an "On This Day" memory from a year ago.
They were photos from the trip I took to Sri Lanka. Specifically, a photo from my tea with Radhika Coomaraswamy.
Most people don’t know her name (unless they work in human rights).
But in that world, Radhika’s a giant. As a former Under-Secretary General of the United Nations, she spent years advocating for children in armed conflict. She’s seen the heaviest, most difficult parts of humanity.
Looking at that photo, I remembered exactly how I felt sitting down with her.
I expected a heavy conversation about policy, international law, and bureaucracy.
But she didn't focus on the red tape. She focused on dignity.
Sitting there with her, I learned a lesson that has stuck with me ever since: When you’re working within massive, broken systems, you can’t fix everything overnight. But you can ensure that every interaction you have protects the dignity of the person in front of you.
Radhika spent her career doing exactly that—navigating the world's most complex bureaucracies without losing sight of the individual human being.
And in many ways, that’s the same charge scholarship providers carry. The truth is that you’re often the only human buffer between a student and a system that feels cold, confusing, and overwhelming.
As we stare down a brand new year, I can’t think of a better "North Star" for our work than dignity.
Dignity is a Reputation Strategy
As you set your KPIs for 2026, it’s easy to focus on "efficiency" or "dollars awarded." But Radhika’s lesson reminds us that our process is also our brand.
We often view our scholarship process as a transaction. But to the community, it’s a statement of values.
The reality? Your application process is the first (and sometimes only) interaction thousands of community members have with your organization. If a student is rejected by your organization this cycle, do they leave feeling respected or dismissed?
If your process is cumbersome, invasive, or cold, you aren't just losing applicants; you’re eroding trust in your mission. And that’s an asset you can’t easily get back.
Dignity is in the Details
You’re probably already deep in the weeds of your cycle. But dignity shows up in the tactical choices you make right now.
Dignity is stripping away the jargon and speaking in plain, encouraging language that invites students in rather than keeping them out.
Dignity is recognizing that a parent’s frustration is often just fear in disguise, and choosing to respond with de-escalation rather than defense.
Dignity is failing to send the "gotcha" email regarding a minor formatting error, and instead simply helping them fix it.
Dignity is a timely response, recognizing that for a student waiting on funds to pay a bill, a day of silence feels like a week.
Dignity is treating the 500th application you read with the same respect, fresh eyes, and attention as the very first one.
Dignity is acknowledging the courage it takes to ask for help, and never letting an applicant feel like a burden for needing it.
Dignity is looking for reasons to say "yes" (or keep them in the running) rather than hunting for technicalities to screen them out.
Welcome back to work. Let’s make this year count.
