The Daniel Sinclair Bredahl Scholarships are awarded annually to UF undergraduates on the basis of a demonstrated interest in international study, appropriateness of the chosen program to the student’s long-term goals and financial need.
The scholarships may be applied to any University of Florida International Center approved academic year or semester abroad program. To ensure that Dan’s spirit of adventure and international discovery touch as many students as possible, these scholarships are non-renewable.
Daniel Sinclair Bredahl "Magical Guitar Man" (1969-1992)
A journalism major at the University of Florida, Dan Bredahl wanted a career in international journalism. His desire was not only to report on different cultures but also to work to bring cultures in contact with each other. His freshman English teacher wrote that Dan “pursued the purest of all quests, that of knowing himself through his curiosity and wonder about what was around him.” He always asked, “What should I expect of myself?” Abstract theories did not interest him; rather he was excited by new experiences (rappelling in Jaipur, India, or eating squid with Japanese fisherman) and by his relationships with people he met throughout the world (from bar owners and poets to his “roommates” at home and abroad).
Dan dreamed of a world where people worked toward understanding each other. Although his passage was short, it was as wide as the world. His journey is still alive in the hearts of those who knew him; it is just beginning in the lives of those who will come to know him through these scholarships and their own experiences as “citizens of the world."
I’ve been wondering if I could become a non-citizen, a citizen of the world--the universe. If I’m a free man, I should be able to discontinue my membership...my boat, a sea-side bungalow and the ocean itself will be my home.” Letter 1/92
“Bulgaria is a paradise. Nothing that I expected and like nothing I’ve ever seen. I was greeted with bread and salt.” Journal entry 8/13/91
Some of Dan’s “passport” entries:
- Islamabad, Pakistan (1973-74)
- Jaipur, India (1982-83)
- Minnesota’s Boundary Waters (1984)
- France (1988, goat farming and vineyard worker)
- Corfu, Greece (1988, the Pink Palace)
- Spain (1988, cattle herder)
- Japan (1990, disk jockey and English tutor)
- Sofia, Bulgaria (1991, English teacher)
- Besançon, France (1991-92, junior year abroad, football “Americain,” guitar and lead singer in Red Light District)
Contributions to Daniel Sinclair Bredahl Scholarship
Bredahl Scholarships are awarded from an endowed fund established to promote international understanding while honoring Daniel’s memory in perpetuity.
Your financial gift to the Bredahl Fund will enable deserving UF students to promote international understanding through study abroad.