The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) Study Abroad Program hosted at Skyline College congratulates its second-ever Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) Scholar, Ms. Nicole Banuelos!
Ms. Banuelos is currently studying Biology and Psychology at Skyline College and plans to complete a Global Internship in Dublin, Ireland to gain healthcare experience in an international setting as she works towards her long-term goal of becoming a Doctor of Medicine. Her top three goals for her global internship are to “increase adaptability, strengthen [her] ability to work with diverse populations, and develop [a] global mindset.”
Ms. Banuelos was selected for the FEA’s “Breakout Scholarship for Community College Students,” and is the second-ever SMCCCD student to receive this prestigious award. In addition, Ms. Banuelos was among 16 other SMCCCD students selected last November for the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for Study Abroad, for which Skyline College has been nationally recognized as a “Top-Producing Two-Year Institution.”
Both the Gilman Scholarship Program and the Fund for Education Abroad work to make transformational international experiences accessible to all by supporting students who have been historically underrepresented in study abroad programs, including “minority, community college, and first-generation college students, before, during, and after they participate in education abroad programs.”
Ms. Banuelos had planned to use these scholarships to cover the program, housing, and travel costs of her two-month internship this summer. However, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current global health and travel restrictions in place, the SMCCCD Global Internship Programs have been suspended for the Summer 2020 session. Nicole has thus decided to defer her scholarship awards until Summer 2021 and participate in the Global Internship Program in Dublin next summer, prior to transferring from Skyline College.
We have no doubt that Nicole will accomplish all of her goals and more. Please join us in congratulating Nicole Banuelos, and all the SMCCCD Gilman Scholarship Recipients, on their stellar achievements!
To learn more about the FEA scholarship and the 2020-2021 scholars, visit fundforeducationabroad.org/meet-scholars. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship Program, visit gilmanscholarship.org.
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 at smccd.edu/studyabroad or email studyabroad@smccd.edu.
Article by Stephanie Wells | Photo by Nicole Banuelos
