Five Questions for one of our #UARK #GilmanScholarship Recipients, Luis Palafox #HogsAbroad in Spain #FundingFriday

Here is me at Consuegra, Spain. It is the windmills in the region of La Mancha and is about 80 miles outside of central Madrid.

Biomedical Engineering major Luis Palafox is spending the 2017-2018 academic year in Spain with our U of A Exchange Program at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid with the help of the Gilman Scholarship and our Office of Study Abroad Scholarship. We asked five questions about the Gilman Scholarship and the application process.

What do you want to do when you graduate the university and how will this study abroad help you be better prepared for that?
I would like to graduate from the University of Arkansas with an internship prepared particularly Biomedical Engineering related. I will be part of the Spring class of 2019 upon my arrival with two more semesters of school left after my study abroad. I should decide to go perhaps live in a big city for example- Houston, Texas. I may pursue a master’s degree right after my bachelor’s or have a break year. Thanks to the Gilman Program with helping me with their scholarship along with Hogsabroad experience it could help me achieve big things in the field of research.

What will you be doing in the summer academically/on your program and what do you think made you a good Gilman candidate?

In the summer, academically? Prior to leaving to study abroad I had taken a summer class in June, with the laboratory, whilst working my part time job at Wal-Mart. I've also recently been accepted to research in spring 2017, so I was engaged with a University of Arkansas Ph.D. student and other undergraduates in summer research at the ENRC, Engineering Research Center. I was helping with cancer research and learning about chemotherapy for colorectal cancer, being one of deadliest cancers, and about process of immunohistochemistry.

What I’ll be doing on my program? I will participate in an Engineering competition program called BEST Madrid: La EBEC challenge that will consist of a local school contest than the state of Spain, and maybe even national with other European schools. I will also be able to travel around Europe between school breaks and visit places like Morocco, Belgium, France, U.K. and others.

What made me a good Gilman candidate? It was the essay prompt, merely about expressing yourself such as what factors lead you to the decision of going abroad. The factors that helped me were since High School was myself just constantly working, studying, and how I pursued a college education as me being a first-generation student for my family. What helped the most was talking about my trek toiling towards being a part of the University of Arkansas.

What was the application process like?

The Gilman Scholarship application window was in the beginning of 2017 around February and early March. I was overwhelmed with other scholarships essays to be completed and when I finally came around to open Word, select ‘New Document’, and I began typing accordingly to the prompt. It kind of came to my mind to know what to write about and I just kept typing. I was back and forth with the essay questions of the Gilman Program and thinking about it day & night up until the last week to submit. I even thought perhaps I was going to stay for the Fall semester in Fayetteville, AR, but I toiled with class in morning and work in afternoon to go home and reread my essays. I had just the help of two of my BMEG friends to proofread the night before, I submitted my essay moments right before the deadline. I continued my semester, got my Spain visa, and began packing throughout end of summer to go abroad with or without it, and I’m very glad I attempted the application.

What will your follow-up project be about?

Follow-up project may consist of me speaking to my previous High School freshmen class or even my old elementary school for an early approach to young students about going international with college. Along with pictures of my abroad experience I’ll have my blog filled with them, but also I’m working on another blog. I hope to create a homestay alternative that will be affordable for future students to live in central Madrid. It seems many families may or may not put their children in English-speaking curriculum in school prior to college. With the help of my current homestay family I plan to manage this exchange program and have it available for University of Arkansas early in 2018 for incoming summer students. The program will be announced soon and will be a project in exchange for just teaching English to the family could be the room and board. If you speak English very well and can manage perhaps one semester to go to a study abroad exchange school in Madrid, Spain, this would save you financially.

What tips would you give to others considering applying?

Anything is possible and believing in yourself to go study abroad already makes you already halfway there. You should speak to advisors ranging from the financial or study abroad office and assistant dean of your department. Have a Numbers or Word table with your undergraduates’ semesters planned, look at the potential exchange school’s classes, and speak with the professors if they can be transferable credits. When the UARK Study Abroad scholarship applications are available try your best to do them all, also look for more outside scholarships, but when it’s time for the Gilman... be ready to write an essay.

Anything else you want to add?
Try to do study abroad while an undergraduate, because you might tell yourself you’re glad you did. You might be able to plan an extra year of undergraduates or even squeeze in one semester. Travelling at a young age is best because when you’re older you know where and how to travel.

Plaza Mayor, 400th year anniversary, photo taken 9/20/2017

Puerta de Sol, one of Madrid’s very busy commercial center

Plaza de Callao, photo taken standing from, with a view of Gran Via (to the right), Madrid’s very busy and visited commercial center.

A photo of my study abroad exchange school, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid- Leganés

Photo taken early October ‘17, at the Beach of Tangier, Morocco, Africa. Dromedaries in the background because my travel group, CitylifeMadrid, prepared a camel ride for us along the Atlantic Ocean.

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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.

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/