Gilman Scholarship takes student to Brussels and funds dreams of global dual degrees
Carmen Rodriguez, a first-generation college student majoring in international business at the University of North Florida, was among 24 American Gilman Scholars studying within the European Union (EU) who participated in a study tour in Brussels, Belgium. Rodriguez is currently finishing her second year at the University of Valencia in Spain as a national Gilman Scholarship recipient and is close to completing a dual degree program after having spent two years at UNF prior. She will be graduating in the summer of 2024.
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program enables students of limited financial means to study abroad with a mission to develop a generation of future American leaders who represent the rich diversity of the nation and have the international networks and skills to advance U.S. national security and economic prosperity.
As a Gilman recipient, Rodriguez and her fellow scholars participated in the immersive Brussels experience with EU institutions and engaged in in-depth discussions about the significance of the transatlantic relationship. The group visited the European Parliament and European Commission and attended conferences to speak with those who dedicate their lives to improving the relationship between the 27 member countries in Europe.
“This experience was eye-opening for me,” said Rodriguez. “I was amazed and inspired by the decades-long effort made by the millions of people in these countries to create peace and a continent where borders are open to our neighbors.”
Learn more about UNF’s Coggin College of Business study abroad funding opportunities.