Reis-Peña Education Abroad Fellowship Fund

The purpose of the Fund is to annually provide a fellowship to support a full-time undergraduate UWL student (domestic or international) who will be engaged in an education abroad opportunity. The defining feature of the fellowship is that it provides a strong experiential learning component with a robust cross-cultural dimension. The Reis-Pena Education Abroad Fellowship Fund will provide a $2,000 fellowship annually (for as long as sufficient dollars remain in the Fund) to a meritorious full-time UWL student who agrees to fulfill the following three criteria. Please read the requirements below and apply for this scholarship at I-Engage

1. FINDING A MENTOR AND DESTINATION
First, select a professor at UWL with whom you can thoroughly discuss and plan a meaningful trip to a foreign country of your choice. The purpose of the trip should help you find the right mentor for this project. For example, if you are a science major interested in water purification systems, then perhaps you can seek advice from a professor within the River Studies Center to mentor you in
traveling perhaps to Switzerland, a Scandinavian country, or New Zealand to visit some of the innovative waterway projects taking place in those regions. On the other hand, if you are interested in seeing first-hand areas of the world that already have a huge scarcity or the least access to clean water, you might want to select northern India or Israel and the Gaza Strip, or the African countries, especially Eritrea. This trip would be an eye-opening experience to highlight the huge challenges that confront us and the world.*

If you are a political science major interested in understanding how a country created successful policies to handle a challenging crisis, perhaps explore visiting that country and meeting with key individuals who were involved in creating a solution. One example at the time of this writing (2021) is how Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, developed and implemented COVID-19 restrictions. Maybe you might have the inclination and persistence to request and obtain a person-to­ person interview with her on her approach to tackling this situation with such grace and success. Also, inquire if you could interview other key people in her country who have inspired, assisted, and contributed to the creation of such an effective way of governing.

Or, if you are interested in business yet undecided about what major to choose, be it management versus marketing, or accounting versus finance, consider resolving this quandary with an adventuresome exploration. Is there a company or an organization abroad that you have admired? Research it and its context, while also pursuing an in-depth study of the alternative majors you
are considering. This research by itself might help in weighing the pros and cons of your decision, especially if you are able to develop substantive questions you might ask the managers of the departments at the entity you are interested in visiting. Try contacting the entity. Might there be an unpaid summer internship for a university student from the USA, especially in the
departments of most interest to you? Could you interview the heads of those departments with confidence, given what you have learned through your research? What options might you come across to assist you if you truly want to stretch? Nonetheless, aim to remain focused on your commitment to find a convincing way to decide on your major while reflecting on the similarities and
differences of working in an organization abroad.

2. BRINGING SOMETHING OF VALUE (NOT MONETARY)
After having to isolate due to COVID-19 restrictions, the need to seek connection in ways we have never done before is even more exciting. What if we were to never leave our own environment? When is the right time to bring out the best we have to offer, especially if we can share it with people whom we might never have had the opportunity to meet? How is it that each one of us can work “to
make a difference?” One way is to see what is in front of us, past the walls of where we stay by imagining what needs there might be that you can fill. When we travel, we seek inspiration from beauty and a fresh perspective. What if we can give as well as take?*

What if, as you plan to go abroad, you broaden that purpose by reflecting on something of value (not monetary) you might bring to the destination you visit. What can you do during your stay abroad to share with local community members, even if is only for a few hours? Could you stop at a playground with local children playing basketball, ask if you can join them, and teach them a few
tricks of the game which you have learned? Could you volunteer a few hours at a local farm? Do you sing, play an instrument, or dance? What about spending a few hours teaching kids English if that interests them because English is not their native language? The purpose of this exercise is to plan to give as well as to take. In this way, I can assure you that you will return with new learning
and a happy heart.

3. SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE
Another important way to make the best of your efforts is to share your experiences. Sharing them with family and friends goes without saying. However, arrange to give a talk in a classroom or find other ways to share your experiences with fellow students, faculty, and staff at UWL Maybe you could gather a group through the Office of International Education and Engagement to-share your experiences with other students who might also want to explore similar options. This, too, is another important way to have the satisfaction of giving back for what you have received. To retain a clear memory of your experiences, I recommend keeping a journal from the very beginning of your endeavor. That way, your recollection will likely be more precise and everlasting.*