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VWU Junior Selected for Gilman International Scholarship Award
Melina Cabral will study away in Spain during the spring semester
University News | January 5, 2022
Melina Cabral ’24 is preparing to travel to Murcia, Spain, this month to study at the Universidad de Murcia for the spring semester. The Virginia Wesleyan junior is one of the recipients of a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, which awards up to $5,000 to more than 1,500 U.S. undergraduate students to apply toward their study abroad costs.
Cabral, who is majoring in management, business and economics at VWU and minoring in hispanic studies, plans to take coursework in Spain that concentrates on the international side of her academic adventures. She says she'll maintain a blog, detailing her experiences throughout the semester.
“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” says Cabral. “I plan on taking courses such as World Economy, Spanish Language for Social Media, Introduction to Marketing, and Sociology of Business and Organizations. I also hope to complete a management internship while I’m studying in Spain this semester,” says Cabral.
While at Virginia Wesleyan, Cabral has been actively engaged on campus as a member of the women’s swim team, an event supervisor for Student Activities’ Off the Hook, and as an executive board member of the Student Government Association and Latino Student Alliance. She has also held multiple positions in her sorority, Alpha Sigma Alpha, and is a newly initiated member of Sigma Delta Beta Honor Society. In addition, she served as chief marketing officer for the student-led 2020 Marlin Prestige Business Conference.
Studying away at the Universidad de Murcia fits perfectly in to Cabral’s big plans for the future, after her graduation from Virginia Wesleyan.
“As far as my end goals go, I want to own my own business one day in Europe. But before I get there, I'm hoping to work in supply chain management & logistics for an international company, such as Amazon. This way I will be able to get some experience and contacts before jumping right into being my own boss.”
Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 34,000 Gilman Scholars from all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories have studied or interned in more than 155 countries around the globe. The program has successfully broadened U.S. participation in study abroad, while emphasizing countries and regions where fewer Americans traditionally study.
The late Congressman Gilman, for whom the scholarship is named, served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. When honored with the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2002, he said, “Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views but adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”
Learn more about global engagement opportunities at Virginia Wesleyan University.