My Goals Abroad in Hong Kong
Hong Kong; a place where I, Brianna Jeanette Diaz, am being recreated through the challenges I face in a drastically unfamiliar environment. I have created three crucial goals during my time abroad to maximize my experience and take in knowledge… READ MORE →
Vanderbilt University to Host Career Workshop for Gilman Program Alumni
Vanderbilt University will host a daylong career readiness workshop for approximately 50 alumni of the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program on August 2, 2019. This workshop is part of the State Department’s ongoing efforts… READ MORE →
Gilman Alumnus Selected to Participate as a U.S.-China Exchange Scholar
When Gilman Alumnus Nicholas Henderson (China, 2016) was a student-athlete at the Franklin and Marshall College, he had been studying Chinese for two and a half years and had just sustained a career-ending concussion, sidelining him from football and Chinese… READ MORE →
Cultural Heritage: Austria
By Gilman Scholar Theodore Van Winkle (Austria, Summer 2019) Odds are, when you think of Vienna, an image of one of its many cathedrals pops into your head. Whether or not you’re religious, it is hard to deny the importance of… READ MORE →
How the Paris Metro Has Helped My Sense of Direction
Bonjour: part 2! This time, I write to you from a breathtaking city of love and light, history and heart, laughter and life- le magnifique Paris. My last week in the small but charming city of Tours passed quickly. My… READ MORE →
The Silver Lining of Reverse Culture Shock
There’s a graphic that exists out there, one easily accessible by a simple google search, that shows the general culture shock and reverse culture shock stages. It’s incredibly accurate, describing the ways being in a different culture both upsets and… READ MORE →
Applying Your Study Abroad Experience to Your Underrepresented Field
Most students who study abroad tend to come from the liberal arts, fine arts, international relations, or business fields. I studied Nutritional Sciences, which falls under STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), a field that has traditionally been underrepresented in… READ MORE →
Meeting Locals and Other Mandarin Learners!
As I am studying in Taipei, one of my biggest goals is to connect with a local. Would it not be great to be able to immerse myself further by meeting someone who knows the ins and outs of the… READ MORE →
African Cup of Nations 2019: Ghana v. Tunisia
On July 19, 2019 the two best national soccer teams in Africa will go head-to-head in Egypt’s Cairo International Stadium in the final match in the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon). Last week, on July 8, I got to see… READ MORE →
I Met Myself at San Fermín
Friday, I dressed all in white and headed out to participate in San Fermín, the festival made (more) famous by Hemingway in his novel, The Sun Also Rises. The city swells to about two million for this one week in… READ MORE →