Rutgers School of Business, Newark student Juan Flores spent 20 hours writing essays and developing a strategy for how to help promote the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program. The essay was part of the application process for the program that gives students an opportunity to study abroad.
Flores learned that he had won the scholarship in April and would be going to Brazil for an intensive, month-long language class in Portuguese.
“I think this experience will help me, especially if I want to work here (in Newark),” said Flores. “There are a lot of accounting firms that work with Portuguese companies, and they do want people who speak Portuguese.”
The chance to study in Brazil comes with an added benefit. The World Cup, which is being hosted by Brazil, will be in the quarterfinals when Flores arrives in Rio de Janeiro. He’s planning to arrive before the study abroad program begins so he can experience the World Cup fanfare firsthand.
Flores, a 31-year-old senior, immigrated to the U.S. when he was 16 years old. He transferred into Rutgers Business School two years ago after attending classes at Essex County College.
At Rutgers, he is an honors college student, with a GPA of 3.65, and attends classes with financial assistance from the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund, one of the factors that made him eligible for the Gilman scholarship.
Named after retired Congressman Benjamin Gilman from New York, the scholarship offers grants to eligible students to help them gain international experience, which is considered increasingly important in a global economy and interdependent world. The scholarship awarded Flores with $3,000 to cover the cost of attending the Portuguese language class.
Kinna Perry, director of the Honors College at Rutgers University Newark, said Flores pushes himself to get as much as he can from every opportunity. “He’s making the most of the time he has here,” she said.
Perry said there are nearly 200 applications for every one student who wins a Gilman Scholarship. Flores is the first student from Rutgers University Newark and Rutgers Business School to win.