Scholarships! The buzzword among poor college students! As an Army dependent and first-generation college student, I understand the struggle of trying to make your way through university, especially without using the GI bill. Through strenuous research, I found scholarships that helped me study the Olympics in Italy with ZERO DEBT.
It’s called the Gilman-McCain Scholarship. As a dependent (spousal or child) you are eligible for this scholarship! The full scholarship amount is $5,000, which is transferred to you by Zelle upon registering and exhibiting full intent in participating in a study abroad program. There are two cycles that cover the whole academic year.
For me, this scholarship (alongside another scholarship given by the Honors Program after a donation from a generous donor) covered everything for my study abroad trip to Rome and Milan over this past spring break. I was able to pay for every meal I had, visiting the Duomo in Milan, visiting the Colosseum again, visiting the Olympic Stadium in Rome and visiting other cathedrals to really take in the cultural and historical diversity that is present in Rome and Milan.
My point is that this opportunity to study abroad would not have been possible for me without the Gilman-McCain Scholarship. Of course, not everyone will have access to this scholarship in the same way that I did, but there are so many scholarships out there, specifically for students planning to study abroad, that can relieve the financial burden.
To help put into perspective everything that I did, I’m going to share with you a play by play of everything I did while in Italy. Through scholarships I have earned, I was able to pay for almost everything I did upfront (except for things done during free days).
Rome
The night we landed in Rome, I went with a group of other students to the Trevi Fountain and gelato after having dinner.
The next day, we went to the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill (the birthplace of Rome). After that, a group of other students and I went to find local things to do and places to eat. Along the way, we found many local stores and got a LOT of souvenirs. That night, we met up with the rest of our class at Saint Peter’s Square and ate dinner together.
During our final day in Rome, we went on a tour to the Roman Olympic Stadium and spent way too much money on souvenirs again. We then took a train to Milan and ate dinner at a local place that was very deer oriented for some reason.
Milan
During our first day in Milan, we went to Politecnico di Milano, speicifically its sport design and management school, whose students helped design the Olympic Stadium in Milan. We learned a lot about different components in the Olympics while watching different students film random clips for their classes. After that, we went to the Milan Olympic Stadium and then the Olympic Village, which is in the process of being turned into apartments and dorms for the public and students. After we were done, I explored the Piazza Mercanti, a very big shopping center by the Duomo (Milan Cathedral) and got there so late, I made a vow to go back there again to fully take in everything, get more stuff and visit the Duomo.
The following morning, I went into the Duomo, a beautiful gothic cathedral that is still under construction. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside. Then I ran into some classmates and we went shopping and, in true American fashion, we ate at McDonald’s for lunch. We then walked back to our hotel so we could go see the Last Supper painting! It was so well kept and still so detailed. After that, we went to the Basilica of Sant’Ambrogio and then Sforza Castle. After our tour was finished, I went back to do some more sightseeing and shopping before enjoying a nice solo dinner at a VERY fancy restaurant.
During our final day in Milan, I went to Lake Como and the Villa del Balbianello (Naboo from Star Wars), bought silk and got stranded on that island, but I managed to make it back in time for our class pasta making class.
My final note before leaving you to find scholarships to help you make memories while pursuing higher education is this: Take those photos, go on that trip and don’t be afraid to eat dinner in a really fancy restaurant by yourself.
If you need any help or extra motivation to study abroad, email me at jara1448@bears.unco.edu and we can talk all things Gilman or scholarships.
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