David C. Frederick Honors College: Office of National Scholarships February 2024 Newsletter
- Meet the team
- Gilman Scholarship application news
- Awardee feature: Nathan Carney (see below)
- 5 Questions with Dr. Daniel Armanios
- Upcoming deadlines & events
- Tip of the month
- Successful applicants
Nathan Carney discusses Gilman Scholarship win
I applied to the Gilman Scholarship and received funding for a 14–day study abroad program over winter break in Mexico City and the Yucatan. The scholarship covered costs related to tuition, room and board, international travel, and location transportation. I was also provided with high quality travel medical insurance and a variety of resources about local cultures and any current political or social developments in the country of travel. Touching on one final benefit, the Gilman Alumni network offers to connect students with several professionals in any field of interest or study.
In Mexico, I was able to learn in ways that are impossible to replicate in a lecture or classroom setting. The KIIS organized program was intense. While prior classes surely helped me get more out of the experience, those two weeks spent navigating through large cities and pueblitos alike, in small but carefully formed groups, gave rise to a far more honest comprehension of conversational Spanish, modern Mexican identity, and the nation's still very much alive Indigenous heritage. This understanding arose from days spent in the markets of Mérida, and furthermore, the ability to study with my own eyes the works of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in the context of the society they've so strongly influenced. Certainly, I was shaped by the humbling demand for respect which I felt while walking through the ancient city states of Uxmal and Chichen Izta. For the simple reason that I was able to immerse myself and learn all of these facets of Mexico firsthand, I am immensely grateful to have studied abroad.
Remarks on the importance of studying abroad are common, but the reality of financial and academic constraints can dampen your reception of these messages. Nevertheless, there are avenues through which a Pitt student can study abroad even if it seems unattainable now—a sentiment to which I can strongly relate. The combination of the Gilman Scholarship, the faculty responsible for Pitt's Gilman Canvas page, Beth Newborg of the Writing Center, the incredibly helpful staff in Swanson School of Engineering's office for Global Experiences and Engagement, and Lesha Greene, the Director of National Scholarships, made study abroad possible for me.
Photo courtesy of Nathan Carney.