In August 2019, I was able to share the “good news” of study abroad with my undergraduate university-The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. I was fortunate to speak with a group of incoming freshmen at the institution’s fall orientation. I spoke to two groups of 25 students from all over the Southeastern U.S. about my experience studying abroad in the United Kingdom. I gave a presentation to both groups where I told them about the Gilman International Scholarship and how it changed my life for the better. I explained the application process to the students along with giving the due dates for the application. It was a great experience and I was able to not only speak to students but parents as well. I had several students stay over and I was able to answer further questions that they had about the scholarship process. Parents had more questions than the students, so I was able to ease fears and reassure them that study abroad is a life-changing event. I passed out my business cards to the students and I even had a few follow-up emails from students that are interested in Gilman. Special thank you to Gilman for the opportunity to talk to the students from my home institution about Gilman.
