As a recipient of multiple awards it is required for me to do follow up projects. At first I thought this was going to be a headache but by the time I got home it seemed so logical to share my experiences.
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| Here I am with the other Global Travel Club leaders at a tabling event at University of Washington Tacoma |
This is my final report to the Gilman expressing how becoming a Gilman scholar has helped me and how I feel I have helped others through the experiences I have had.
While reviewing my original
follow-up project essay I was excited to see my enthusiasm for spreading
information to such a broad array of people about my overseas experience, I am
happy to report that even know…nearly six months after my return that
enthusiasm hasn’t waned. I wrote of
being involved in many different school activities and wanting to participate
in as many school engagement opportunities as possible and even about a long
term goal for when I graduated and became a teacher (which went beyond a
possible 6 month deadline set by the Gilman program) of teaching youth about
the excitement of traveling outside of the US and the amazing opportunities
studying abroad can offer as a means of teaching diversity tolerance, language
and maturity.
I am happy to report that I feel I
have successfully accomplished all of these goals with the exception of having
my own teaching classroom (like I stated in the original proposal and in the
above paragraph) this is long term goal that I will try to accomplish once I
have graduated, but currently I am still pursuing my BA and won’t be graduating
until June 2016. But, even with this I have done my best to keep the “spirit”
of the original “long term” goals in my mind and my actions even as a normal
volunteer for my children’s elementary school.
What I have done since I completed
my study abroad in China summer 2015 is participated in numerous events at my
university to not only promote study abroad, but the amazing opportunities
receiving such a prestigious award as the Gilman has benefited me. I became a
transfer student peer advisor for my school and at every event we held I would
get on a stage and talk to students about study abroad (always saying I was a
Gilman Scholar and that I only was able to study abroad because of the
scholarship). I am even working on a Buzzfeed for my university to help promote
the significance of traveling, scholarships and study abroad and how it can
impact an individual’s university and professional careers (this has not been
formally release by my university but if the Gilman is interested I would be
more than happy to forward a link when it is completed). I have participated in
tabling events with one of my school clubs called Global Travel Club, where I pass
out pamphlets and brochures about the Gilman Scholarship and discuss with
students the importance of traveling and experiencing different cultures. I
have been involved in multiple discussionary panels hosted by my universities
Fellowship Advisor including a “Build Your Own Potential”
and “Meet a Gilman Scholar.” I became a Global Leader through the (Former
Senator) Slade Gorton Mentorship program where I have used my first-hand
knowledge of being in China to talk about the important environmental and trade
issues the US and China struggle with. As a mother of two elementary aged
children I am able to even get involved in my long term goals even though I am
not a teacher yet. I have been able to talk to multiple classrooms of children
about my trip to China, I frequently mention that I received the Gilman
scholarship (of course to first graders that doesn’t really mean much) and that
because of it I was able to go to China and study for school. I have found with
the really young children I mostly emphasize getting to travel and that if you
are afraid a lack of money could keep you from traveling to look into different
organizations because a lot of time there are people willing to help you travel
for school to help make you a better person.
I also have a blog that I completed of my study abroad experience
highlighting different places and events I really enjoyed, it also includes my
thoughts about studying abroad, how my trip has affected my life since my
return and a post about a second China trip I took in December 2015 with the
remaining money I didn’t spend from the China 2015 summer study abroad!
I would like to say that even though
my study abroad is over, and I have completed my original follow on project
requirements I have no intention of stopping my promotion of studying abroad or
of the Gilman Scholarship and what it did for me. Whether I become a teacher or
not I will always advocate for others to have amazing opportunities like what I
had. Studying abroad in China was life altering, it helped me gain a deeper
appreciation for Asian Culture, experiencing things outside of my “comfort
zone”, international friendships, different job possibilities and helping me
breaking the personal stigma I had about other cultures specifically in Asia.
Being a Gilman scholar has given me a voice that I didn’t know I had. I am so
thankful for all the opportunities I have been able to benefit from by being a
Gilman Scholar, thank you thank you so much. I will continue for as long as I
have a voice to promote study abroad and the Gilman Scholarship opportunities.
