BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Two Illinois Wesleyan students have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to support study abroad programs. Cassandra-Lee Jordan and Bianca Spratt each received $4,000 to study abroad with the School of International Training (SIT).
Jordan, a sophomore anthropology major, is studying Chinese culture and ethnic minorities in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. She left for China on Jan. 28 to spend a few weeks in Nanjing and Xi’an with her sister, who currently lives there, before beginning her program at SIT, which will run from Feb. 21 to June 5. “I hope to do research in my independent study in China that I can continue in my anthropology and religion independent studies at Illinois Wesleyan,” said Jordan, “and on a personal level, I would like to be able to fluently communicate with my Chinese roommate, Li Li, (in Chinese) by the time I return to Illinois Wesleyan.”
The Gilman scholarship requires recipients to complete a follow up project on their study abroad experience within six months of returning to the United States. For her project, Jordan is keeping a blog of her experience. You can read her blog at blogs.iwu.edu/cjordan/. “The ultimate goal of this project is to promote international education,” said Jordan. She also has plans to arrange a dinner this fall when she returns to campus in order to share her experience at SIT with other students on campus.
Spratt, a junior sociology major, is currently studying multiculturalism and human rights through SIT in Cape Town, South Africa. “I hope to gain the South African Perspective on life, culture and the issues that affect the people there on a daily basis,” said Spratt. “I intend on learning as much as I can from the excursions, home stays and the people I am surrounded by.” Spratt says her goal is to one day travel throughout Africa and live with the people there.