Julie Kovar, an aspiring first grade teacher, accomplished more in her 20 years than many people do in a much longer lifetime.  As a college junior studying elementary education at Penn State University, she was a committed student who volunteered her time in the classroom and had plans to begin formal student teaching the following year.

In February of 2007, Julie went to Australia to study abroad for a semester…she chose Australia because Susannah, her roommate for one semester at PSU, was from Australia and had been studying “abroad” at Penn State the previous year!  Susannah is a wonderful ambassador for her country.

Unfortunately, Julie became ill a month after arriving, had emergency surgery, and passed away suddenly and unexpectedly while in Sydney.

Because she was not able to fulfill her goal of becoming an elementary school teacher, we established the Julie Kovar Fund to raise money and award grants to “make a difference in the life of a student”. Through the generosity of friends, family, and others, we are hoping to accomplish, for Julie, that which she was not able to do herself.

.