Why I Applied Video

Here is a video of myself and other students from my school talking about why we applied to get scholarships. I am at the end (because of by last name) of the video so keep watching and you will eventually see me. I  am looking up a lot in my portion of the video because my queue card was just above the camera...LOL! I dont normally look above people when I talk to them, but I couldn't remember what I was going to say to save my life. So out came the cards. Anyways, enjoy the video and hopefully you will be inspired!

Why I Applied YouTube Video

THE LIST OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS AND THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT STUDY ABROAD

I have had to think about so many things since I started this adventure, so I have decided to compiling a list of important documents that I hope study abroad students (well anyone actually) will find helpful,approximate fees and my recommended time-frame to consider prior to leaving on your trip

1. PASSPORT-you need to plan this at least 4-5 months in advance (of course, I have heard of people doing it way faster, however, if there is any kind of delay in the process it mess up all of your plans) approx cost-250.00$

2 VISA-Does your travel country need a visa to enter? This could be a couple week process when the government systems move quickly. China (the country I am traveling to) does, the paperwork can be a bit laborious but, once that's out of the way you need to take you paperwork (plus: unsmiling passport picture-a smile changes the way your face appears, also...are you really going to be smiling if a government official needs to see it...probably not, copy of your drivers license-for proof of residency, your travel itinerary and host party letter/invitation) and of course your passport to the Chinese embassy in the US. Unless you live in or around one of these location you have to find a visa broker that is near the embassy that will do the delivery for you. This is one of the main reasons I felt getting the passport taken care of early was so important. Once again, there could be a stall up of your paperwork (for a number of reasons) and you may not get it all back in time for your trip. So plan ahead. I sent my paperwork out a couple of days ago and I should be receiving it back about 10 days after sending it. That's pretty fast considering how many people have to look at all my paperwork, however, any delay could be disastrous if I wasn't so insanely prepared for this trip.

approx cost-210-300.00$ depending on speed of delivery and broker fees

3 INSURANCE-What would you do if you were injured overseas, in a natural disaster or something worse? Most US insurance companies will not cover you while you are overseas so (thankfully) most colleges do provide insurance that will help if something happens. In fact, I couldn't receive the Gilman scholarship or be approved for the study abroad program unless I had purchased my schools insurance. Time frame for purchasing this depends on your schools study abroad program requirements, my school wouldn't let me continue with registering for the program unless I purchased insurance first so, I did about 5 weeks out from traveling.

approx cost- varies, my school charged 2$ a day, not bad considering it covered, emergency medical/dental, medical evacuation and repatriation of remains

4. STEP-(DEFINITION FROM THE WEBSITE) The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. I felt this was necessary because I know I am going to be in a place that I might not be able to call my family easily if something happens. it would be nice to know the US embassy in Beijing knew where I was staying. There is an app for your phone so you can be alerted if something is happening in the area you are traveling in. 

Here is the STEP website

approx cost-FREE

 This list will grow as i continue through the process

Planning, Meetings, Packing and so much more

I am about 4 weeks away from flying to China and I have to say I am REALLY excited!

I have been busily thinking through all the necessary things I need to figure out before I go. Fortunately, my school study abroad advisor (Tracey) has been keeping me busily completing all of the necessary paperwork the school needs for me to be affiliated with my college and the college contacts in China. The professors who are leading our program are doing an awesome job at keeping us informed and getting us excited about going to CHINA!!! (Like I really needed to get anymore excited, I am almost at a state of delirium I'm so excited!) This quarter can't be finished fast enough.

I am compiling a list of important documents and things to think about. Here is a link to the list I am adding to this continually
the-list-of-important-documents-and-things-to-consider

Paperwork...BLEH!

A necessary part of winning a scholarship is completing the documentation to actually receive the award and...of course the money. They don't just hand you a check and say "have fun!" (well they kind of do) but they want to know the study abroad is going to be legitimate and that they aren't going to give you money you won't use to travel. So you have to provide them with a lot of paperwork, attend a webinar and even submit a picture before they will approve your documentation. It can be time consuming but when you hit the submit button it feels just as good when you submitted your entry essays. The best part happens a couple days after you submit your Award Documents (that's what happened to me today) and you receive the congratulatory email saying your documents were approved and your scholarship money will arrive in 2-3 weeks! That's about 16 days before I go to China! SWEET! Wow, am I getting SOOOOOOO excited!

Go! Scholarship!!!!!

Wow! On May 19, 2015 I won the Go! scholarship! I thought one scholarship was great but two...I am speechless!!! I can't believe it! I guess someone really wants me to go to China. I am so excited I can't wait to see, hear, and smell all that Beijing is. What an opportunity I am being given to experience a piece of the world I have only dreamed about in my wildest dreams! Thank you, thank you Go! scholarship for helping me see my dreams become reality!

Here is the link again to the Go! scholarship
global opportunities-Go! scholarship

LOTS of Attention!

I don't like being the center of attention and for the last several weeks since winning the scholarship I have had way to many eyes looking at me. It first started with putting a TV ad on all the campus's TV monitors, then writing a bio for the college website and finally my local newspaper wanted to do an interview with me about being a single mom, going to school full time and working two part time jobs.  I appreciate people being excited and proud of me but, being in the "spotlight" is not my thing. This week things have finally slowed down and I was able to finally get my paperwork finished so I could accept the scholarship. I am thankful to everyone who helped me accomplish my goals, and I am humbled and truly thankful to the Gilman staff for thinking I was worthy to receive their esteemed scholarship.

Here is my schools TV ad about my reward.

UW Tacoma Gilman recipient Bio page

Puyallup Herald article