Broaden Your Horizons

Sarah Hidalgo, an Honors College student, was one of the recipients of the Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship. This nationally-awarded scholarship is given to undergraduate students from across the nation who demonstrate academic competitiveness and financial need. Hidalgo is just one of 835 students from across the nation awarded this highly prestigious scholarship. Ambitious yet humbled by the experiences she had in Oaxaca, Mexico, Hidalgo not only recounts her one-month adventure abroad, but also the challenges of arriving at her decision to go there in the first place.

As an atypical college campus, the University of Illinois at Chicago is most noted for being a commuter school, with many of its students commuting from the city and the suburbs. This creates a discord among students in their ability to take full advantage of opportunities that the campus has to offer. Hidalgo believes studying abroad is just one of many opportunities not fully utilized by UIC students, especially among females and minority students, saying this is the “case for higher education in general.” Stemming from the lack of preparedness coming into college, educators don’t consider that these students come in with an automatic elimination of the option of studying abroad. With the struggle of paying for study abroad, let alone college, the experience of studying in another country seems unattainable for minority students.

As a resourceful student, however, Hidalgo didn’t let this obstacle stop her from pursuing her goal of studying abroad, ultimately preparing her to be a prime candidate of this prestigious scholarship. Hidalgo advises future applicants to not be intimidated by the overall process of applying to study abroad. Scholarship awards such as the Gilman search for highly motivated students who can clearly express their specific and honest intentions for studying abroad. Hidalgo utilized her background to her advantage and distinguished herself among thousands of applicants. She applied to multiple scholarships, some even a couple of days before the deadline, to increase her chances at getting scholarships for study abroad. Also, by looking at programs that are less popular destinations for students (ie. not Europe), Hidalgo was able to secure a spot on the faculty-led program to Oaxaca, Mexico—fully funded.

Hidalgo arrived at Oaxaca, already a heritage Spanish speaker, but she didn’t realize just how much more she would be able to learn within just one month of staying in another country. The classes she took studying abroad were, to put it simply, “different.” Not just in the respect of what she studied, but how the curriculum was formatted to ensure completion of the course within one month. During the weekday from 9-12pm, she took a Spanish class to improve her literacy and writing skills. Afterwards, she took a Spanish culture course that brought students on daily excursions to be fully immersed in Mexican culture. There weren’t many exams and as a Spanish speaker already, she found the courses fairly easy. The credits earned ultimately influenced Hidalgo to minor in Spanish.

Looking back on her experiences, Hidalgo is grateful for her time in Oaxaca, an unfamiliar place without her usual support system. She has grown as an individual, comfortable with taking on new challenges and leadership roles. Studying abroad was something unexpected that she saved for her last year in undergraduate college, but Hidalgo believes that “it’s never too late to do something you’re passionate about.” Her next adventure to Italy awaits this coming December.