The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Study Abroad Program hosted at Skyline College congratulates its first ever Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) Scholarship recipient, Ms. Claudia Acuña. Claudia has been awarded $2,500 from FEA to intern for two months this summer in Hong Kong as a participant in the new SMCCCD Global Internships Program.
The FEA Scholarship is a very competitive. Only 98 recipients from an applicant pool of 2,300 students around the country were selected – an award rate of only 4%. FEA works to increase access to international education opportunities for students consistently underrepresented in study abroad, and scholars come from a variety of ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Claudia met the selective criteria for a clear study abroad plan, demographic underrepresentation in study abroad, and financial need.
Claudia also received the Institute for International Education’s Generation Study Abroad Travel Grant of $2,000. Only 50 students around the country were awarded this grant from an applicant pool of 1,500 applications – an award rate of only 3%.
Claudia will be participating in an architecture internship while in Hong Kong. Her goals while abroad are “to learn more about the work that architects do in the renovation and conservation of historical buildings, to immerse [herself] in the culture of Hong Kong, to learn…and bring some of [her] experience to [her] community at home, [and] to encourage others to study abroad and expand their perspectives.”
We have no doubt that she will accomplish all of these goals and more. Please join us in congratulating Claudia Acuña on her stellar achievements!
To learn more about the FEA scholarship and the 2018-2019 scholars, visit http://fundforeducationabroad.org/meet-scholars/. SMCCCD Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed at the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. For more information about the program, and scholarship opportunities please visit the SMCCCD Study Abroad website or contact Zaid Ghori at ghoriz@smccd.edu.
Article and photo by Stephanie Wells
