C o m p a n y
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
YANELI PEREZ
“Studying abroad in Turkey has truly been a life changing
experience. This was my first time traveling overseas and
I decided to go all out and chose a country in which I
didn't speak the language, the religion was different than
my own, and the culture was also unfamiliar. Having to
learn to adapt to these changes and acclimate to new
way of living after residing in the United States my entire
life made me become much more independent and
helped me grow as an individual. These circumstances
forced me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to
learn to overcome any future challenges with tenacity
and confidence.”
Study Abroad is a profound educational experience that should be accessible to all. Our program
encourages, educates and connects students to this opportunity. Studying Abroad develops our
students and has changed their lives. France, United Kingdom, and Turkey are a few places our students
have study abroad in the past. Currently we have nine students planning to study abroad in Ghana,
Ecuador, Haiti, Paris, and Spain. It is our goal to continue to increase the number of first generation
college students that study abroad.
ELAINE VAUGHN
"Applying for the Gilman Scholarship was a very last
minute decision. I was still trying to decide if I really
wanted to go abroad. Actually when I received the
award letter I already changed my mind about going
because of the price. Because of the amount of money
that I received it turned my entire situation around. I
was able to reconsider going abroad and the cost was
not that bad anymore. Without the Gilman
Scholarship I would not be getting ready to go abroad
to Ghana for seven weeks this June. From this
opportunity I learned to just go for it because you
will never know the outcome."
It is our goal to graduate our students with the least amount of debt possible. We understand that this
will require close connections with financial aid, student employment, and off campus partners.
Personal sponsorship and support from donors allows us to serve our students beyond TRiO SSS. We
look forward to expanding financial opportunities for our student.
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