Rich Banisikowski Memorial Scholarship

Rich wasn't just NOD's Vice President, he was the heart and soul of our organization. Rich loved international education long before joining Open Door Exchange in 1990, and he helped take NOD from a small exchange organization to a leader in the industry. Rich was also a founding member of CSIET and helped establish the best-practice guidelines we still follow today. 

Rich was passionate about all things Polish, and his family's history is closely tied to Poland's. His father was an officer during World War II, and his mother spent the war in a concentration camp. Because of Rich's close ties to Poland, recipients of the scholarship will be Polish students who spend an academic year as an AYP student in America, cost-free.

This scholarship was created to honor Rich's amazing life, which was cut tragically short by a heart attack while out on his morning run on September 19, 2016. We also wanted to continue Rich's dedication to our organization and international education, so his legacy will live on at NOD forever through the scholarship bearing his name.