国际经验的礼物

Study abroad scholarship gives student a Costa Rican adventure

吃当地食物. 让自己沉浸在外语中. 结交来自世界各地的朋友. 参观火山、海滩和云雾森林. Kaylee Nye’s experience studying abroad in Costa Rica during spring 2019 was about more than just taking classes in another country.

The Weiser native wanted to experience something completely new.

在寻找留学地点时, 我想要一些不同于爱达荷州的东西, 或者是整个美国,”她说。. 对奈, the unique classes and proximity to beautiful beaches made Heredia, 哥斯达黎加是理想的旅游目的地.

现在是大三学生 英语和创造性写作的重点 在365滚球官网 文学、艺术和社会科学学院, Nye took a variety of classes at Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica that complemented her major and allowed her to learn more about the local culture.

“我参加了田径项目, which allowed me to finish four Spanish classes in the course of a semester and gave me a more immersive environment to study another language,”她说。. “I also took a food and travel writing course from a visiting American professor and a Latin American cuisine course from a local Costa Rican.”

Nye believes the experience will be helpful as she continues her studies in the hopes of working as an editor at a book publishing company and as a non-fiction writer.

“Studying abroad in Costa Rica allowed me so many educational and cultural opportunities that I couldn’t receive at a normal university,”她说。. “I gained further understanding of myself through writing and gained skills and confidence in new avenues of writing from my travel blog or the food and travel writing course.”

探索哥斯达黎加文化

Outside the classroom, Nye chose to immerse herself deeper in the local customs.

“为了增加我对哥斯达黎加文化的了解, 我决定住在寄宿家庭, 其中包括一个单身母亲和她的儿子,奈说。. “She cooked common Costa Rican foods like gallo pinto with plantains or black bean soup with a hard-boiled egg.”

奈还探索了埃雷迪亚以外的哥斯达黎加.

“Because of the affordable bus system throughout Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to travel across the majority of the country,”她说。. “我参观了瓜纳卡斯特到利蒙的海滩, 像阿雷纳尔火山和伊拉苏火山, and beautiful cloud forests that Costa Rica is so well known for. Finally, I visited Panama for a week through a school activity offered over spring break.”

送出国留学的礼物

Nye credits being able to afford her study abroad experience to the financial aid she received, 包括 崔茜卡·麦卡洛纪念出国留学奖学金这是一项为伊利诺伊大学学生提供的基金.

“Receiving scholarships like the 崔茜卡·麦卡洛纪念出国留学奖学金 gave me the option to even consider visiting another country for a semester,”她说。. “It allowed me to explore many hidden gems in South America while diving deeper into the language, 文化与宗教. 如果没有这个，这一切都不可能实现.”

奈是该奖学金的第一位获得者, 这是为了纪念1993年的崔西娅·麦卡洛而创作的, 谁在2017年意外去世. 她很小的时候就被妈妈迷上了旅行, 麦卡洛喜欢探索世界, including going on international adventures with longtime friend and fellow U of I alumnus 马特奇怪 ‘06.

“Tricia and I traveled all over together, visiting seven different countries. We rarely set an itinerary and tried to experience each place in the most authentic way possible,他说. “我在思考如何纪念她, I realized that the most meaningful way to do so was to allow someone the opportunity to have their own adventures like the many we had together. Supporting study abroad made sense and felt like the perfect way for her love of travel to last forever.”

Strange also found giving the gift of study abroad aligned with McCullough’s practice of regularly giving experiential gifts rather than items to friends and family.

“You might forget what you learn in the second lecture of your second week of class, but those experiences you have while you’re outside the classroom, 你不会忘记他们,他说. “To give students the opportunity for something more meaningful – friendships in jazz band or an experience abroad – is truly what makes the college experience.”

建立探索的遗产

Strange hopes to continue to grow the scholarship fund so it can get endowed, honoring McCullough and helping U of I students study abroad in perpetuity.

“Supporting study abroad made sense and felt like the perfect way for her love of travel to last forever.” 马特奇怪

2019年2月, he even launched a 脸谱网 campaign celebrating what would have been McCullough’s 50th birthday. 它从89人那里筹集了7346美元.

“What people don’t always realize is that every little dollar adds up fast,” Strange said. “My goal is to grow the scholarship enough to fund two awards per year, 但它会通过25美元的礼物和2美元的礼物到达那里,500年的礼物. 一点点就能走很长的路. If everyone gives a little, that little becomes a whole lot.”

This year, those little donations added up to a big experience for Nye.

“Donations to help fund a study abroad for a student helps them experience opportunities not always provided at a conventional university,”她说。. “These scholarships allow students the freedom to gain an understanding of the world outside of rural Idaho. 他们学习新的语言, 学会欣赏不同的文化, 并扩大他们的职业机会.”

By Kathy Foss, 文学、艺术和社会科学学院
2019年8月发布