US State Department scholarships for three UP students

MANILA, Philippines - Maria Emilynda Jeddahlyn Pia Benosa, Christine Delner Robledo, and Lindo F. Lindo have been chosen to spend a year in American universities by the Global Exchange Program, which is facilitated by the Fulbright Foundation and sponsored by the US Department of State.  World Learning, an international non-profit organization, will arrange the students’ stay in their respective universities.   

The extremely competitive application process included nationwide interviews,  from which 20 applicants were nominated to take the TOEFL exam.  Only 10 applicants were finally accepted. 

The program is designed to expose students to American culture and society.  Besides pursuing academic courses, the three scholars are encouraged to travel and see as many states as they can. They are also required to complete 10 hours of internship and 10 hours of community service, and  will have an opportunity to work with local media companies and non-profit organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Amnesty International.     

Benosa, a creative writing student, will attend the American University in Washington D.C. from August 2009 to May 2010, and will take courses in communication, creative writing and literature.  She will observe how Americans deal with the current economic recession.  When she returns, Benosa hopes to help those belonging to underrepresented sectors and work towards making culture and the arts a thriving field. 

A BM Musicology and BA Broadcast Communications student, Robledo believes that UP’s academic environment has taught her independence and critical thinking needed to understand what America is, while strengthening their Filipino identity. She will be a student of Communication Studies at the University of Southern Indiana from January to May 2010.  Robledo hopes to serve as an example of how a young student is able to mediate ideas and function with intelligence and discrimination within the global community.   

From January to June 2010, Lindo will take up units in Broadcast Communication at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.  He plans to visit historical places he has only seen in pictures.  Lindo says this is an interesting time to be immersed in American society and be able to observe how global events impact Americans and their culture.  He says that he will do his part in promoting understanding between Americans and Filipinos.  His training as a Broadcast Communications student at UP has taught him to make use of all opportunities to learn and to improve the welfare of his country. – Camille de la Rosa