05/05/2015
Two SUNY Cortland students are among the early recipients of a new state scholarship that supports diversity in study abroad.
Senior international studies major David Paulino of the Bronx, N.Y., and junior English adolescence education major Iva Markicevic of Cortland, N.Y., both earned Diversity Abroad Honors Scholarships from the SUNY Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Paulino, the first SUNY Cortland student to receive this award in the scholarship’s inaugural round, this spring semester used his $1,000 award for studies at Universidad de Granada in Spain. Markicevic more recently was awarded $1,000 to travel to Cuzco, Peru, for six weeks this summer to participate in a SUNY Geneseo program called “Discovering the Andean World.”
“We congratulate David and Iva for their achievements and we are proud for them to be ambassadors for SUNY Cortland abroad.” said Mary Schlarb, director of international programs at SUNY Cortland.
Established by Carlos N. Medina ’78, SUNY’s chief diversity officer and a SUNY Cortland alumnus, the Diversity Abroad Honors Scholarship supports students from a broad range of backgrounds who will contribute to the diversity of the student body on their campus or in their academic program. The scholarships range up to $1,000.
“I was beyond happy and surprised,” said Paulino, who is completing minors in anthropology, Latino and Latin American Studies and Asian/Middle Eastern Studies.
“These scholarships have helped me with reaching my goals of not only studying abroad in Spain but allowing me the opportunity to visit other countries like Switzerland, France and Morocco,” he said.
Markicevic was awarded the Diversity Abroad Honors Scholarship in the second round of review.
“I was very excited because I want to be a teacher, and I think that in that career, there is a great need for diversity appreciation and cultural knowledge,” Markicevic said.
“Being able to go to a country where I am unfamiliar with the culture and am not used to speaking the language daily will go a long way in helping me cultivate these important attributes,” said Markicevic, who is minoring in Spanish.
“The SUNY Diversity Abroad Honors Scholarship program shows the strong commitment of SUNY, and particularly the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, to expanding access to transformative education abroad experiences,” Schlarb said.
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| David Paulino, left and Connor Brenner, a fellow study abroad student from the University of New Mexico, right, take in the Alcazaba in Malaga, Spain. Above left, Markicevic is pauses for a moment near Old Main. |
Paulino for the spring semester also was awarded the College’s Willi Uschald Scholarship, worth $950. Created in 1991, the award is named for Willi A. Uschald, a SUNY Cortland professor emeritus of foreign languages and director emeritus of international programs. Uschald Scholarships are awarded to students accepted to a study abroad program who are U.S. citizens.
Diversity Abroad Honors Scholarships are available to students for a variety of programs worldwide, including semester-long study, shorter-term faculty-led courses, internships and student teaching. Recipients were selected based on criteria that included high academic achievement, financial need, involvement in extracurricular activities, a personal essay and letters of recommendation. In order for the students to receive the scholarship, SUNY Cortland was required to match each awardee’s overseas scholarship.
For more information, visit the scholarship website.
Prepared by public relations intern Kate Monno.