I’m a third year international business
major concentrating in economics and minoring in anthropology and Spanish. As
an incoming freshmen I had originally chosen to be an anthropology major, but
really I knew I just wanted to travel for a living; I saw more job
opportunities that could provide that type of career in the Walton College of
Business, so I switched to international business before my first semester of
classes. After understanding accounting, finance, marketing, and the other
concentrations under business, I realized that economics – while challenging –
is the most interesting. Economics allows me to blend numbers and business
aspects with people, culture, and human decisions-making, which is what
interests me most. Ultimately I would like to work for the US government
outside the US, or at an international level in order to really understand
people’s needs and be in a position to better them.
Where will you be going abroad, what will you be doing there and
how will it impact your academics & life goals?
I will be traveling to Madrid, Spain and
I will be doing a direct exchange to the Universidad de Carlos III en Madrid,
so I’ll be continue my studies in business. This study abroad program will
incredibly impact my life in ways that I am yet able to realize. Hopefully, I
will be able to make connections for my professional career, but especially
enhance my social skills. Also, I hope to get a better understanding of how and
where I will pursue graduate school; I would love to study at an American
school in Europe, and there happens to be in Madrid and I plan to make a visit
to it.
What are some of the more unique/interesting details of your study
abroad program?
Interestingly to me, we are allowed to
make our own living arrangements; this will probably affect my entire
experience. I will be rooming with two Spaniards, and experiencing to culture
full on. I am also most excited to
finally be fully enthralled, in my full 5 senses, in places that I’ve only
imagined about. I’m most excited about this because I’ve imagined these experiences
since I was very young.
What does earning this scholarship mean to you?
As with any scholarship I earn, I feel
very blessed and extremely honored to have received it. With the Gilman
scholarship especially, though, I feel impeccably proud to have been chosen as
a recipient. It means immensely to me because knowing that I have received a
national scholarship to do what I love – study and travel – freshly reminds me
that I do have remarkable opportunities to pursue my goals. I am reminded by
the Gilman foundation that achieving my aspirations is possible, and I am
reminded to never forget to give back to others on the way to reaching all
those goals. While in Spain I hope partake in volunteer opportunities in
addition to using my video blogs to inspire young students.
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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.
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.
