Originally published December 19, 2014
By Laura L. Acosta
UTEP News Service
The first time Carlos Nevarez traveled outside of the U.S.-Mexico border region was last fall when he was one of four students from The University of Texas at El Paso selected for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.
As a Gilman scholar, Nevarez lived and studied in Spain for six months. The study abroad experience made it possible for him to explore 10 countries and 30 cities.
“It’s like going to another galaxy,” recalled Nevarez, who graduated from UTEP Dec. 13 with degrees in political science and philosophy. “Through my travels, I managed to become a more professional person. The trip enhanced my professional communication skills and I became more adept at communicating with people even though I didn’t know their language.”
Nine new Gilman scholars from UTEP hope to enjoy a similar life-changing experience when they travel to Argentina, the Czech Republic, Finland, Austria, Russia and the Netherlands in spring 2015.
In November, UTEP students were awarded $36,500 in Gilman scholarships for travel overseas to study at the following universities: Jesus Arreola, Czech Technical University, Czech Republic; Abelardo Castrejon, Universidad de Palermo, Argentina; Sergio Mendez, St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University, Russia; Eduardo Miranda, Czech Technical University, Czech Republic; Krystal Pimentel, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria; Mariel Soto, Universidad de Belgrano, Argentina; Jaime Torres , Czech Technical University, Czech Republic; Kevin Vallejo, Abo Akademi University, Finland; and Ramon Valles, Tilburg University, Netherlands.
Established in 2010, the Gilman Scholarship Program aims to support students who have been traditionally underrepresented in education abroad, including but not limited to students with high financial need, community college students, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with disabilities.
The program offers financial support to undergraduate students in universities in the United States who might otherwise not participate in study abroad opportunities due to financial constraints.
Kevin Vallejo is the first Gilman scholar from UTEP to attend Abo Akademi University in Finland. He will leave Jan. 2, 2015, and return in June.
“I hope to get a wider view of the world,” said Vallejo, a physics major who expects to graduate from UTEP in 2016. “The few times I have been outside the border area, I have returned with high hopes and an easiness of spirit that I find wonderful. I cannot fathom how much more happy or relaxed I will come back from a European country in which I lived for six months.”
Ramon Valles already got a jump-start on his study abroad education. Even though his classes at Tilburg University do not start until Jan. 12, 2015, Valles left Dec. 16 for the Netherlands so he could begin to assimilate himself into a new country that he will call home until he returns to the U.S. in mid-June.
Valles, a senior studying biological sciences at UTEP, hopes this experience will increase his knowledge of international medicine.
“This opportunity has made my education (at UTEP more) interesting by providing me the chance of learning new ways of life and different cultures,” Valles said.
Austria is the ideal place for Krystal J. Pimentel to expand her study abroad experience. The country’s central location in Europe will allow Pimentel, a junior in the College of Business Administration, to travel to neighboring countries, including Germany and the Czech Republic.
“I think the fact that UTEP offers study abroad, it says a lot (about) the University,” said Pimentel, who leaves for Johannes Kepler University Feb. 16, 2015, and returns in mid-July. “I am trying to value everything that the University is offering me now in order not to regret anything in the future. I would not have this opportunity if I hadn’t come to UTEP, due to my financial (constraints).”
Pimentel is looking forward to learning about different cultures and new languages and eating exotic foods. To prepare for her trip, Pimentel participated in a pre-departure study abroad orientation offered through UTEP’s Study Abroad Office.
Students attend seven to nine orientation sessions for two hours on Fridays where they receive vital information about their trips. Topics include passport applications, international travel, budgets and time management, health and safety, and how to deal with culture shock and homesickness.
“We have many students who have never traveled outside of El Paso or maybe outside of Texas,” said Niamh Minion, UTEP Study Abroad Office coordinator. “They may have gone to Juárez, but a lot of students have not had experience traveling internationally, so we give them the tools so that they can make smart decisions when they go abroad.”
This is the second study abroad trip for Abelardo Castrejon, who is a double major in general management and finance at UTEP. Castrejon participated in a faculty-led study abroad program to Hangzhou, China this past summer.
Castrejon said his trip to China prepared him for his trip to the Universidad de Palermo in Argentina.
“What I hope to get out of this experience is human relations; the interaction and sharing of ideas that is made possible through studying abroad,” Castrejon said. “This is a very unique experience that only a small percentage of students take advantage of. I consider myself privileged to able to be a part of that percentage of UTEP students.”
For more information about UTEP’s study abroad opportunities, visit the Study Abroad Office website here.