NC State’s Study Abroad Office offers scholarships for minority groups to study abroad, like the Travel Scholars program and Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The scholarships aim to target underrepresented groups, including first-generation college students from any ethnic background.
The Travel Scholars Program recipients will receive up to $2500 towards credit-bearing study abroad courses. Applications will be reviewed Nov. 15, 2015, and top candidates will then be selected for interviews. The Travel Scholars Program also focuses on encouraging these students to go abroad by providing information about how much of an impact the experience can have.
“When I was in college I didn’t go abroad because I was worried about finishing school on time, keeping my job, and obligations to my family,” said Blair Kelley, the assistant professor for interdisciplinary studies and international programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “That’s one of the biggest regrets I have of my undergraduate experience.”
“Studies have shown that with students from underrepresented groups, study abroad is actually very impactful to their trajectory,” Kelley said. “They’re more likely to graduate, to go on to employment, and to be satisfied with the things they’re doing on campus because of their time abroad.”
Lisa Redfearn, a senior studying marketing, discussed the potential of culture shock traveling abroad and how it can vary depending on the destination.
“I traveled to Hong Kong and it was definitely a culture shock because in Asia they don’t see many black people so you could be the first one,” Redfearn said.
Jamael Harrison, a second year graduate student studying higher education administration, completed his 2012 Capstone project in Ghana.
“Don’t be afraid,” Harrison said. “If you know you want to go to Europe or you want to go to Africa, don’t let anything stop you. Do it. We get misconceptions of Africa through the media and I began to realize we have a lot more in common with these countries than we think.”
