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Living Better Lives Through Education
At Amway, helping people live better lives is rooted in creating opportunities for people to learn, grow and work toward goals. Amway’s approach to business ownership values education as a powerful tool for professional development, whether it’s pursuing a trade or degree, building new skills or a business. Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) steadily build product expertise, develop skills and cultivate customer relationships that help them grow and stay motivated over time.
This culture of learning and personal worth is why Amway proudly supports the Founders Memorial Scholarship Program, which recognizes students whose leadership reflects the Amway Founders’ Fundamentals of Freedom, Family, Hope and Reward.
Established in 2013 in honor of early Amway Independent Business Owners, the scholarship celebrates students who demonstrate these values through service to others. This year, three recipients were awarded $15,000 scholarships for higher education.
While each student’s journey is unique, all three recipients shared stories that embodied the Founders’ Fundamentals of Hope and Freedom in meaningful ways.
Meet the Scholars
Kailey Gurney of Purdue University is a Biochemistry Pre-Med student and Clinical Assistant. During a particularly demanding clinic shift, Kailey had the awareness and empathy to reassure an anxious patient. At that moment, she saw how hope takes shape through compassionate care and human connection. As an Amway IBO and medical student, Kailey defines hope as being a steady presence for others when they need it most.
Ashley-Danielle Bickerstaff of Rutgers University is a Social Work student who is studying to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor. While assisting a struggling individual, Ashley-Danielle took the time to help him navigate a housing application and connected him with the additional resources he needed. Her experience reinforced the belief that access to knowledge and opportunity can create lasting change, and it expanded her view of service. Ashley-Danielle is also an Amway IBO, using her skills to build a business for herself while pursuing an education.
Meti Kejela of the Georgia Institute of Technology is a Computer Science student who sees technology as a vehicle for connection and empowerment. After experiencing the challenges of resettling as a refugee, Meti learned firsthand how education, communication and community can bring people together. She mentors classmates, advocates for safer communities and is building toward a career in computer science while helping others find pathways to opportunities they might not otherwise have. Meti puts hope into action, using what she learns to help her community move forward.
A Culture of Possibility
These students and many others like them embody one of Amway’s long-held beliefs that education can create endless possibilities. Education provides the foundation for greater confidence, independence, and opportunity. It empowers people to solve problems, serve others, and build better futures for themselves, their families, and their communities.
From the moment an individual registers as an Amway Independent Business Owner (IBO), they gain access to educational resources designed to help them learn and grow. This access to business training, product education, and digital tools helps new and seasoned business owners confidently share products and build customer relationships.
The Founders Memorial Scholarship Program and Amway’s commitment to education have a shared purpose: to help people live better lives. The stories of this year’s scholarship winners, Kailey, Ashley-Danielle and Meti, remind us that hope and freedom are more than optimism – they are action. And that’s a vision Amway is proud to support.