Howard University sophomore Stanley Scott was recently selected as the 2026-2027 English-Speaking Union (ESU) Luard Morse Scholarship recipient. The scholarship provides up to $30,000 in funding for recipients to study abroad at a university in the United Kingdom during the 2026-2027 academic year.  

Scott, an economics major from Atlanta, Georgia, is the first Howard student to be selected as an ESU Luard Morse scholar since 2017. The scholarship is intended to provide second-year students enrolled at HBCUs with an opportunity to study at prestigious universities in the U.K. Scott will study at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the top ranked university in the U.K., according to the 2026 “The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide.”  

“I’m looking forward to the whole experience of being somewhere new,” said Scott. “I have no idea what to expect from London, but what I do know is I'm going to meet some amazing people. I’m going to see a whole different way to look at life and hopefully have a lot of different experiences.” 

A Bison in Motion 

In addition to Scott, 19 other Howard students have been recipients of the scholarship since its inception. Since the inaugural 1969-1970 academic year, 90 Luard Morse Scholars have studied at 18 British universities such as LSE, the University of Oxford, Cambridge University, and the University of Edinburgh. Scott will make his way to LSE in August for a dual-semester study abroad experience, concluding in May 2027.  

“The ESU is honored to support [Scott’s] educational efforts as he embarks on this life-changing, study-abroad opportunity in the United Kingdom,” said Monique Robinson Clark, chair of the ESU Luard Morse scholarship committee. 

Scott credits Howard’s ACE Scholars Program for educating him about the scholarship opportunity. The program assists students with securing national and international merit awards and other prestigious scholarships like the Luard Morse Scholarship.  

“This opportunity wasn’t something that was on the forefront of my mind,” Scott said. “If it weren't for the ACE Scholars Program, I wouldn’t have known about it. I studied abroad in high school for about 30 days in Paris over one summer. That was fantastic and it was beautiful. I got to see a whole new, different culture. I wanted to repeat that experience during my undergraduate years.” 

Prior to enrolling at Howard, Scott initially had his sights set on attending another university, but “when I came over to Howard and met some friends, I really found that Howard was the place that I needed to be.”  

Scott shared that being a Howard student is helping him to broaden his academic and professional horizons. Last year, Scott had an internship as a credit risk analyst at Corpay, a D.C.-based corporate payments company.  

On campus, Scott is a member of the university’s Abram Harris Economics Society, where he is the associate head of outreach. He’s also a part of Howard’s Student Activity Fee Committee, and he recently joined the Howard chapter of the Omicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society in Economics. Scott is a graduate of Midtown Highschool in Atlanta, where he honed his leadership skills as the president of the school’s Black Student Union and even had a stint as a student news anchor.  

“I've had some experiences in my life where it made me look at death a little bit differently and in general, my whole personality,” Scott explained. “I only have one life to live, so I might as well do everything that I can to help other people [while adding] a different way of thinking. I've started to focus more on the process itself and focusing on what I’m doing right now instead of focusing on the outcome.”