This
summer, I will be going to Rome for a five-week program where I will study the
language and take an Italian film class. The classes I’m taking will be
challenging, but I’m sure that the backdrop of Rome will help make learning
feel like a side effect of all the wonderful experiences I’m having! I’m
looking forward to learning more about the country my family came from, as I am
the great granddaughter of Italian immigrants. As a psychology major with a
social work minor, I also am looking forward to speaking with people from a
different culture than the one I have lived in. Global experience is an asset
in working with people and I hope to talk to as many Romans as will tolerate my
broken Italian!
I was a good Gilman candidate for several reasons, but the most obvious is because I am a non-traditional student. Non-traditional students make up a small portion of the already low percentage of students who study abroad. I am 36 years old, a mother of four children, and I have never set foot on an airplane. I think that the combination of being an older student with children and the fact that I have never traveled helped me stand out. It also doesn’t hurt that I work very hard and have a competitive GPA.
What
was the application process like?
There
is a lot of documentation needed, but all of it is manageable. The most
difficult part of the process is the essay. Personally, I had a lot of aspects
of my life and background that put me at a disadvantage for being able to
travel that could be interesting to the bureau. Because of this, it was
difficult to decide what to talk about without going overboard. I had a lot of
help working on which aspects were more applicable thanks to Laura at the study
abroad office. Definitely ask for help! It’s a competitive scholarship and you
want to do everything you can to better your chances.
What
will your follow-up project be about?
I
will be working on two presentations that will be open to the public at the
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville. One will be geared toward
adults, especially those who have never traveled, where I will talk about some
of the ways I prepared for flying for the first time and going overseas for the
first time. I will also talk about Rome, my classes, and my own experiences
while abroad. The second presentation will be geared toward children and will
be coordinated with the youth program at UUFF. I will focus on some cultural
aspects of Italy, especially Italian idioms, which my own children have told me
are “weird” and “silly” - making them PERFECT for a presentation! My goal with
these projects will be to inspire others to travel and to inform others of the
Gilman Scholarship and how it can help underrepresented students gain
experience globally. I would consider my project a great success if some of the
kids who saw my presentation grew up to be Gilman scholars!
I
would also like to work with the Office of Study Abroad in helping more
non-traditional students, especially parents, find ways to study abroad.
Sometimes money is not the only thing holding us back and many non-traditional
students write off study abroad as something that is completely unattainable. I
would like to help those students find a way to participate.
What
tips would you give to others considering applying?
Start
earlier than you think you need to and ask for help if you need it.
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About the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program) offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.
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About the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program (http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program) offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such international study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.
