Education Abroad Featured Students

Some of my favorite parts were interacting with the locals including Thai students, Buddhist monks and merchants at markets. I learned about local customs and ways of thinking from them. I also enjoyed trying so many different kinds food and fruit that I would never have done otherwise. I also really enjoyed traveling within Thailand to other cities. Initially, I thought traveling to the other side of the world was enough excitement but it was a lot easier and more rewarding that I imagined. It actually made me a lot more confident and taught me to be more resourceful.

There’s so much I could say! When it comes to choosing studying abroad, I will tell you to not be the first person to tell yourself no or that you can’t do it, can’t afford it, it doesn’t work with your major, etc. You miss all the shots that you don’t take and you owe it to yourself to try and see if it could work for you. For preparing for the experience yourself, I highly recommend just asking your teachers, advisors, graduate students, everyone for advice. Your faculty and the Education Abroad advisors are literally a team of people ready to help you find the right program, apply for scholarships and give you travel tips. I also highly recommend visiting the writing center if you’re writing essays for scholarships applications as I was a tutor there so I got help from them too. All you have to do is ask. This isn’t a journey that you embark on alone.

I received the Freeman-ASIA scholarship for my semester in Thailand, and the Critical Language Scholarship for my summer in Taiwan.

I was happy to receive the Freeman-ASIA Scholarship because it was also aligned with my other passions for community involvement, outreach and encouraging Asian Studies in Idaho. One aspects of the scholarship was a community service component where I visited foreign language classes and shared my experience to inspire others to study abroad. The Critical Language Scholarship is an all-expenses paid scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State. The purpose is to promote citizen diplomacy and helps American students study languages critical to the United States foreign interests via a language immersion program. Getting to go to Taiwan was beyond my wildest dreams, and I was able to do so because of this prestigious award. 

My favorite part of studying abroad was the literature class I took at Oriel College. Oxford was home to JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and the class I took was entirely focused on them and their ideas. I got to visit where they lived, where they studied, where they got some of their inspirations from and the places they enjoyed spending time. I am a big fan of their books, so it was awesome to see places like Saint Mary’s Passage, which was an inspiration for Narnia’s door. Oriel College is one of the many schools that make up the University of Oxford, and I still can’t believe that for two weeks I got to see such beautiful architecture and the wonderful libraries on campus. The professors and staff were so nice, and I miss having breakfast and coffee with the friends I made there. Oxford is such a beautiful city!

I would encourage them to meet with their advisors and go over any questions they have about the scholarships that are available. To prepare, I would also suggest that they do their best to familiarize themselves with the culture and customs of the place they choose to study. Studying abroad is a great experience and I strongly encourage anyone that is interested to go ahead and do it!

The Idaho First-Generation Global Fellowship and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

Having these scholarships was very helpful to pay off the cost of my program. Also, I was able to have a little bit of money to spend while I was abroad, which covered meals and tickets to historical sites and museums. These scholarships also encouraged me to continue studying to earn my bachelor's in General Studies at University of Idaho.

My favorite part about studying abroad was getting to learn about the culture in San Sebastian. It’s very different from anywhere else because of its Basque culture. Within my first week there, San Sebastian Day celebrations were in full swing, and it was amazing to experience the pride and culture of the Vascos people. The food was amazing too! Fun fact: San Sebastian is known for having a very high quantity of Michelin Star restaurants. One of my favorite parts of studying abroad was pinxto-pote, where young people get together every Thursday to drink and eat cheap pinxtos (also known and tapas or appetizers).

If you’re thinking about studying abroad, you should be thinking a year or more ahead to be sure to meet deadlines for scholarships and your program. I was only able to get all my scholarships by applying a whole year ahead when they were due. Always check deadlines and stay on top of things! Another recommendation would be to take advantage of an internship, volunteer or tutor opportunity because you learn so much more about your host culture than you would without any of these experiences. During my experience, I did an internship with a non-profit that worked with refugees, immigrants and women and children in vulnerable situations. I loved it so much and I learned more than I ever thought I would. This experience also solidified my decision to go into the field of social work.

I received scholarships from CLASS and the School of Global Studies, as well as the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.

I got enough in scholarship money to pay for my program including housing, food and basic household needs. I was also able to travel throughout Europe and I had the most amazing experiences imaginable. I traveled to six different countries and went to concerts and even the coronation of King Charles III. I was able to do the absolute most with my experience thanks in large part to scholarships.