San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec




San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

The Daily Aztec

$25k up for Grabs in Study-Abroadscholarships

One big obstacle for students wanting to study abroad is findingthe money to do it.

It just got easier. The Coca-Cola Foundation has given a $25,000grant to the university to provide study abroad scholarships.

Steven Loughrin-Sacco, co-director of SDSU’s Center ofInternational Business Education and Research, said thesescholarships can open up a world of opportunities even for thoseliving beneath the poverty level.

“(Study abroad) is not just for rich kids to go study art inFlorence,” he said. “I’ve never met a student in 25 years who didn’tthink that study abroad was the richest educational experience intheir lives.

“We could wallpaper the office with the postcards they send.”

But all too often, the high cost of airfare is prohibitive forstudents who want to do international study, Loughrin-Sacco said.These scholarships, ranging from $250 for students studying in Mexicoto $1,000 for those going to Europe and Asia, will cover travelcosts.

The Coca-Cola International Scholars Program was made official onNov. 1, when Loughrin-Sacco, Julia Wilson of University Advancementand International Business major Juanita Rodriguez met with Coca-ColaProgram Officer Adrian King in Atlanta, Georgia.

It’s totally unheard of to bring a student to a grant meeting,Loughrin-Sacco said, but he wanted King to meet a typical student whowould be funded by the Coca-Cola International Scholars Program.

She’s the daughter of farm workers and was the first of theirseven children to go to college. She’s the first who will break thecycle of poverty, Loughrin-Sacco said.

“When (Rodriguez) told her story, King’s eyes were getting red,”he said.

Despite financial hardship, Rodriguez has spent a semester inChile, a semester in Mexico and a summer study session in Quebec. Andif King has his way, she’ll be one of the first recipients of theCoca-Cola scholarships this spring, he said.

Loughrin-Sacco said this first grant of $25,000 may be just thebeginning. “My personal goal is for every student at SDSU who wantsto study abroad to have a scholarship,” he said. “Preparing studentsfor global society and study abroad may be the most importanteducation we can provide a student.”

The scholarships are open to any full-time undergraduate orgraduate student at SDSU. They will be awarded based on financialneed and academic performance.

The deadline to apply is Dec. 1. Applications are available at theInternational Student Center on campus, or in the BusinessAdministration and Mathematics building, Room 431.

For more information, call Steven Loughrin-Sacco at594-3008.

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San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913
$25k up for Grabs in Study-Abroadscholarships