Campus Connection

Scholarship lifts junior on a plane to South Africa

These days UWL junior Carly Emmel is feeling excited. She’s feeling a little terrified too. But most of all she’s feeling ready to accept whatever life throws her while living in a big, foreign city. At the start of spring semester Emmel will board a plane for Johannesburg, South Africa — a trip largely made possible to her through a competitive, national grant. With guidance from UWL’s International Education and Engagement Office, Emmel earned the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. Nearly 3,000 students nationally apply for it each year, but only 800 students are offered awards. Only one other UWL student has received the award since 2008.

“We’re really proud of her. It is a huge accomplishment to receive one of the Gilman awards,” says Miranda Panzer, UWL international student advisor.

About 14 percent of UWL’s student population studies abroad each year and about 10 percent of students nationally who graduate with associates or bachelor’s degrees study abroad each year. UWL and other colleges and universities across the country aim to grow these numbers as employers are increasingly looking for students with international skills and experience in a global society. UWL’s International Education and Engagement Office joined a national initiative in 2014 that aims to extend study abroad opportunities to more students. Generation Study Abroad, an initiative of the Institute of International Education, seeks to double the number of students studying abroad by the end of the decade by finding new ways to extend these opportunities. Emmel says the scholarship made the decision to study abroad much easier for her by greatly decreasing the financial burden. The Gilman scholarship seeks to diversify the kinds of students who go abroad by offering awards to students who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints. The Gilman program also encourages students to choose non-traditional study and intern destinations. Emmel decided to go to Africa — a location outside of the most popular study abroad destinations, which are often in Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Traveling to such a foreign place will undoubtedly have its discomforts. Emmel is expecting a few curveballs, but that’s part of the reason she’s making the trip. She wants to learn how to navigate internationally — particularly in Africa. Her dream since childhood has been to volunteer for the Peace Corps and her destination of choice is a French-speaking country in Africa. Emmel plans to make the Peace Corps her first step after graduation. The community health education and French major eventually wants to earn a master’s degree in global health and work with non-profits doing basic health education on the global stage. She wants to help those those who have difficulty helping themselves. “I’ve always wanted to reach out to people who need something. I try to give with no expectation in return,” she says. “As humans we share the responsibility to keep each other happy and well.”