Two Fredonia students were among the recipients of the 2018 Gilman Scholarship for Summer Study Abroad that were recently announced.
Amy Rodriguez, a junior Communication Disorders and Sciences major with a Spanish minor, will study in Mexico. She is looking forward to refreshing her viewpoint as she leaves the United States.
“I think leaving North America, the U.S. especially, will change my world view,” said Rodriguez. “We learn about different countries, customs and traditions in school and through the media, but I think living there and being immersed in another culture will give me a different perspective.”
Michaela Tadros, also a junior Communication Disorders and Sciences major with a Leadership Studies minor, is focused on career aspects as she heads to Togo, West Africa.
“My goal for studying abroad is to become an informed global citizen as well as more versed in different cultures and beliefs which will help me in future clinical settings,” Tadros said.
Her study abroad experience will coincide with an internship in the capital of Togo, Lomé, in which she will be helping children and families who are in need of speech therapy.
The Gilman Scholarship is a nationwide grant program that allows for undergraduate students who require financial support and are recipients of the Pell grant to have experiences abroad. Twelve Fredonia students have received the grant since 2015.
Students who are interested in applying for the scholarship should contact Erin Willis, assistant director of Study Abroad and Exchange Programs. Workshop sessions hosted by the Office of International Education will be held Monday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m., and Friday, Feb. 23 at 11 a.m., in the Williams Center Room S204E. Applicants for summer and Fall 2018 are encouraged to attend.
