GENESEO, N.Y. — Anna Liu, a SUNY Geneseo senior from Flushing, N.Y., has heard stories about living in China with her family when she was two years old but remembers none of the experiences. She has only heard stories from her family after they moved to the United States about their life in China.
Anna is about to find out first-hand about life in China, thanks to the Gilman Scholarship she has received for the upcoming semester to study abroad in Shanghai through the Fudan University Exchange Program. The Gilman Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies abroad. Such study is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world.
“This opportunity means so much to me,” said Liu. “I hope to better the culture I came from to give me a more holistic and thoughtful approach to the decisions I make in life. This will be the first time I’m going out of my comfort zone to travel alone so far away, especially since I rarely do that here in the United States.”
Liu is business major and mathematics minor at Geneseo and in China will explore the different perspectives that influence China’s approach to economic decisions. She will visit other large economic cities in China and learn the geographical implications of Chinese business behavior. She also will learn the Mandarin Chinese language, one of the principal business languages in the world.
“The Gilman offers a tremendous opportunity to students who might not otherwise be able to afford to study abroad a chance to do so,” said Michael Mills, Director of National Fellowships and Scholarships at Geneseo. “Since 2007, 16 Geneseo students have received the award and have studied on six different continents. For many, the experience is life changing and sets them on a career path that they will follow in graduate school and beyond.”
It’s the fifth year in a row that Geneseo students have received Gilman awards. Also earning Gilmans for 2016 were Emily Ramirez, a senior comparative literature major from Brooklyn, N.Y., who studied the past spring semester in Brazil, and Allison Gramy, a senior international relations major from Bayside, N.Y., who has completed her study abroad experience in Ecuador.
“I came to Ecuador with a drive to understand how pervasive governments prevent women from accessing adequate healthcare and restricting them from getting abortions,” said Gramy. “Prior to going to Ecuador, I had taken a class that focused on women’s health issues especially in Lain America.”
Gramy plans on returning to South America at some point to work on women’s issues and is considering applying to the Peace Corps or the U.S. Student Fulbright Program after graduation.
Photos
Left: Emily Ramirez, a senior comparative literature major from Brooklyn, N.Y., earned a Gilman Award allowing her to study last spring in Brazil.
Right: Allison Gramy (middle), a senior from Bayside, N.Y., recently completed her study abroad experience in Ecuador thanks to a Gilman Award
Media Contact:
David Irwin
College Communications
(585) 245-5529
Irwin@geneseo.edu