Research Symposium

BIO

I am an first-generation undergraduate student at Florida State University, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am majoring in Psychology and minoring in Social Work, and I am heavily interested in the topics of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder

I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, aiming to aid those dealing with mental struggles and provide them with the necessary care and treatment. I am actively involved in the Peruvian Student Association (PERSA), Realizing Everyone's Need for Emotional Wellness (RENEW), and 211 Big Bend. Aside from academics, I enjoy watching and playing soccer, watching movies and tv shows, baking, sleeping, eating and simply being outside.

After graduation, I plan to pursue graduate school, primarily in clinical psychology with a focus in counseling psychology. I am excited to present my research at the FSU Undergraduate Research Symposium and share my findings with the academic community.

The Fear You'll Be the Same Person When You Go Home and the Fear You Won't: First Generation in College Students' Experiences of the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship

Abstract

This research project aims to study how study-abroad opportunities impacted former FSU first-generation college students (FGCS) who received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. FCGS have faced prevalent underrepresentation within study-abroad programs. It is crucial to identify the effects to demonstrate a greater emphasis on assisting FCGS interested in study-abroad programs. The research aims to see how FCGS understands their experiences with the Gilman Scholarship and how the program has affected their post-graduation lives. The research pool comprises former FSU FCGS who received the Gilman Scholarship. A survey questionnaire will be sent to all qualifying participants, and from that, two focus groups of ten alumni will be comprised. From that, the pool will be narrowed down to five students who will then participate in creative reflection activities: Cabinet of Curiosities, Timeline, and Individual Interviews. Past research demonstrates varying definitions for FCGS dependent on different factors: family (parents vs grandparents/siblings), type of education (no high school diploma to bachelor’s), and duration of college experience (2-/4-year). Furthermore, past research indicates that students greatly benefit from study abroad experiences: learning to interact with diverse environments and learn to understand themselves, leads to increased graduation rates, shorter time to their degree, and higher GPAs. This research is based on Transformative Learning Theory, where explanations are acquired for how people understand and obtain meaning from the events they experience. This research project calls for more attention to be directed toward FCGS with the hopes of providing them with greater support with participating in study-abroad programs.

Keywords: First-Generation in College Students (FGCSs), study abroad, transformative learning theory, Gilman Scholarship