Nathalie Moreno
The Southern Alum
When I first began my academic career at Florida Southern College, it is safe to say I was overwhelmed by all the opportunities and chances to get involved both on and off campus. I wanted to make a name for myself and take advantage of all the opportunities I had available out of nowhere. With the high expectations I had set for myself, it was a good thing that I heard about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship before it was too late for me to apply. The Gilman scholarship turned out to be the perfect fit for me. However, I didn’t apply for the program until my senior year of college.
Before applying for the Gilman scholarship, the one big program I heard the most about was the US Fulbright Program, a prestigious scholarship that allows recipients to travel to a country of their choice through four different awards. These are mainly the open study and research award, the English teaching assistant award, or one of the special programs, which consists of the Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships In Public Health program or the Fulbright-National Geographic Award.
The Fulbright scholarship is a wonderful opportunity, but for so long in my college career, I never thought it was for me. My English major advisor, Dr. Jenny Moffitt, told me about the Gilman scholarship, for which I was eligible for because of the Federal Pell Grant I was receiving through my financial aid package. I immediately became intrigued by the scholarship and all it could offer me.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program was first administered in 2001 by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The program is named after late New York Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman, who served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and acted as chair of the committee on International Relations.
His position on international education and affairs aligns well with the scholarship’s mission. Gilman believed that “living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience.” He continued to advocate that the social and cultural experience gained from studying abroad helps students gain a deeper understanding of their home, expanding and improving their places in the world.
As a recipient of the Gilman scholarship, I can personally say that this is exactly what the Gilman scholarship did for me.
The first thing I had to do while applying for the Gilman scholarship was find a study abroad program that was right for me. Because it was my senior year of college, it was hard to find a program that would take place before I received my diploma.
I found a program in Italy that I was extremely excited about that seemed to fit all my needs and desires; unfortunately, that program fell through because I needed a down payment before I found out if I had received the scholarship or not.
Luckily, the Gilman team was very understanding once I explained the situation to them, providing me with as much help as they could give and allowing me ample time to find a new program. The constant communication made me feel comfortable with the process as if the people behind the scholarship cared about my experience just as much as I did.
Finally, I found the Summer in Japan program, sponsored by the Center for International Studies (CIS) Abroad. I knew that was where I was meant to go. If I wasn’t a believer that everything happens for a reason before, I am now because that study abroad in Japan changed my life.
The onboarding process was straightforward to understand — plus, I was excited to be a part of the Gilman community, looking to expand connections around the globe. And once all the documents were submitted, and everything was said and done, there remained nothing left to do but head to Japan.
Upon my arrival at Narita International Airport, I was already bursting with excitement. Never mind the 14-hour flight I had to endure, I was just ready to partake in any and every activity. As the group of students participating in the study abroad program grew larger and larger, it hit me just how much I could learn in a short two weeks.
The three activities that CIS Abroad planned for the students included a scavenger hunt around the Tokyo hotspot Shibuya, a kimono fitting and a traditional tea-making ceremony. The two things all of these activities had in common were the encouragement of mingling with people — both in the program alongside students from J.F. Oberlin University, the university that CIS partnered with — and the teachings of Japanese culture. This included everything from the food to the language to even daily behaviors.
In each of these activities, I learned a lot about the large Japanese culture I was surrounded by for two weeks. The kimono fitting entailed many more steps than I would have thought before undergoing the process myself. Everything was intentional, from the pattern of the kimono to the flower in your hair, all the way down to the socks and sandals that finished off the outfit.
The same intentionality was present in the tea-making ceremony. Every action had a meaning. The main purpose was to connect with the spirituality of it, of creating something yourself. For those on the receiving end — the students — the most important thing was showing the tea master (that who makes the tea) respect and gratitude. There was even a certain way to receive the cup of tea, a specific direction in which to turn the cup, and an exact way to hand it back. The entire ceremony in itself was beautiful and serendipitous.
While I learned much about Japanese culture from the planned events that were part of the program’s itinerary, many of the lessons and cultural knowledge came from the unplanned interactions. Every morning, I walked to the station and hopped on the train, standing shoulder to shoulder with other passengers before I hurried out the door once we reached my stop; every night, I returned to my hotel room, much smaller in size than an average American hotel room, yet I felt more at home than any hotel I had ever stayed in within U.S. borders. Almost every afternoon, I found a new local restaurant, and if not, I ate with the Oberlin students in the cafeteria. I got accustomed to behaviors I found myself doing without realizing by the end of the two weeks; I separated my trash religiously; on an escalator, I stood only on the left side or walked only on the right side; I used my Suica (the Japanese version of a MetroCard) at every train station, claw machine and vending machine.
I was so enthralled by everything I had learned of Japanese culture, every sight seen and sound heard; every street walked; every train stepped on to and off of; every food smelled and tasted; every item touched; every mental image taken. The only conclusion that it felt right coming to was that I had to do it all again.
And none of that would have been possible had I not applied for the Gilman scholarship. Coming from a financial background that I do, I would not have been able to afford to pay for the program. The Gilman scholarship I was awarded made it all possible for me, and it’s almost a disservice to any eligible student to not learn about scholarships like this one that can grant life-changing experiences like the one I was lucky and able to have.
While I learned much about Japanese culture from the planned events that were part of the program’s itinerary, many of the lessons and cultural knowledge came from the unplanned interactions. Every morning, I walked to the station and hopped on the train, standing shoulder to shoulder with other passengers before I hurried out the door once we reached my stop; every night, I returned to my hotel room, much smaller in size than an average American hotel room, yet I felt more at home than any hotel I had ever stayed in within U.S. borders. Almost every afternoon, I found a new local restaurant, and if not, I ate with the J.F. Oberlin University students in the cafeteria. I got accustomed to behaviors I found myself doing without realizing by the end of the two weeks; I separated my trash religiously; on an escalator, I stood only on the left side or walked only on the right side; I used my Suica (the Japanese version of a MetroCard) at every train station, claw machine and vending machine.
I was so enthralled by everything I had learned of Japanese culture, every sight seen and sound heard; every street walked; every train stepped on to and off of; every food smelled and tasted; every item touched; every mental image taken. The only conclusion that it felt right coming to was that I had to do it all again.
Being only the second person thus far to have applied and received a Gilman scholarship, I want my story to encourage others to take the same risks. None of what I experienced would have been possible had I not applied for the Gilman scholarship. Coming from the financial background that I do, I would not have been able to afford to pay for the program. The Gilman scholarship I was awarded made it all possible for me, and it’s almost a disservice to any eligible student to not learn about scholarships like this one that can grant life-changing experiences like the one I was lucky and able to have.
I end with these parting words from Sill, in the hopes that we will not be among the first and last students to experience all that a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship can offer: “Gilman is a life-changing scholarship that enables students to study abroad in unique places and learn the importance of global connections,” Sill said. “Receiving a Gilman helped give me the confidence to apply for opportunities to engage in more in-depth cultural exchanges, including Fulbright.”
