What is your biggest fear when it comes to studying abroad? Is it the thought of being away from your family, or is it the thought of not having enough funds? Before I get into how I was able to fund my Berlin Experience, I want to encourage every first-generation student to think extra hard on what it is that's preventing them from reaching over their "limit."
When I started my application, I hardly thought of how I'd be funding this trip. I didn't want to stress myself and or overthink the financial part that came with the application. At the time, I did not own an American Passport, nor did I have a paying job.
I knew that my family would help in any way they could, but I also knew, deep down, that there is no way they could help me with all the expenses that I was presented with. Knowing all this information, I started brainstorming ideas that would help me fund my trip. I remember staying up late many nights with my suit-mate Zee, writing, and searching for different scholarship opportunities. One night, we created a GoFund me, in hopes that someone would donate.
As time went by, I became frustrated with all the dead-ends I came across with my scholarship search. I went to my Gen-one advisor, Luis, complaining about how depressed and apathetic I was becoming and how I didn't feel like going to Berlin anymore. He immediately introduced the Benjamin Gilman A. International Scholarship! Luis had previously worked at the study abroad office, so he was quite familiar with the requirements for the scholarship and how competitive it was. Shortly after our conversation, I began to work on my essay. I wanted this scholarship badly; I knew that this scholarship would be a considerable contribution to my abroad expenses.
The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship is a program that is there to assist underprivileged students to study and or intern abroad. The program is designed to help students gain life-lasting interpersonal skills as well as professional skills. The scholarship is open to all U.S. citizen undergraduate students searching for abroad experience and award up to 5,000 in reward.
As a first-generation student, I struggled with breaking the barriers of not reaching farther than I am supposed to. Often, first-generation students limit themselves from reaching afar merely because "we're too broke to go abroad." I spoke to many of my peers from the first-gen program at UC about studying abroad; they all wanted to gain such experience, but couldn't because they couldn't afford to leave the states.
I want to encourage any gen-1 student and or underprivileged student to APPLY for the Gilman scholarship! It is there to help fund your expenses abroad, and you should take advantage of that. It is because of this program that I got a chance to leave the United States and gain cultural, professional, and international connections. It is because of this program that I had a way of transportation to and from work. It is because of the Gilman scholarship that I got the opportunity to make memories beyond measures.
Below is a link that will direct you to the scholarship application. I will be more than happy to help you with the application process, as well as the essay portion of it. If you guys have any questions at all about the application process, or to learn more about the scholarship, do not hesitate to reach out. I want everyone to experience what I got to enjoy when I traveled and discovered the beautiful cultures embedded in Europe.