Gilman Scholarship Recipient Sosima Navarrete Shares Her Story about Her Study Abroad Experience in Brussels

Sosima Navarrete in Amsterdam

CSI senior Psychology major and Gilman Scholarship recipient Sosima Navarrete had the opportunity to study abroad in Belgium, this summer and she shared her experience with CSI Today:

“My time in Brussels, Belgium was by far the best experience of my life! Having some financial difficulties, I thought it would be impossible to go, but with help from the Gilman Scholarship, I made up my mind and decided to go abroad. When I first arrived in Brussels, I was scared, it was my first time in Europe plus I didn’t know the language. Although once I met my roommate and other study aboard students, I was more confident. The best part for me was getting to know the cultural difference between ours and theirs, they’re more open-minded and show more affection, even to strangers, something that isn’t seen regularly here. Since Belgium is in the middle of Europe, I got to travel with a friend to Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam, as well to other towns in Belgium. It was amazing! I got to experience how life is in each country I stayed. Even though the traveling was outstanding, for me the most mesmerizing time was during my internship with Serve the City. This internship allowed me to work with refugees, the homeless, children, abused women, and the elderly. Being able to make a child smile, be a listener for the women who wanted to talk, and to serve food and bring comfort to the elderly and homeless who have no one, was the best experience of my trip. If given the opportunity, I would definitely go study aboard again!”

According to its Website the “U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness. The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.”