/news-archive/tag/raphael-davis/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Tue, 17 Dec 2019 13:48:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /news-archive/2019/12/17/life-in-morocco/ Tue, 17 Dec 2019 13:48:11 +0000 /news/?p=75753 ... 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students get taste of life in Morocco]]> The 17 University of Arkansas at Little Rock students who traveled abroad to Morocco returned with lifelong friendships, cultural and leadership experience, and memories that will last a lifetime.听 The students competed at the International Model Arab League, a student leadership program that simulates the League of Arab States, at the Universit茅 International de Rabat in Morocco in October. After the conference, the students went on a cultural tour of Morocco, including camel rides and camping in the Merzouga Desert.听 鈥淐amels are like a weird combination of horses and cats,鈥� said Nikki Partlow-Loyall, junior political science major. 鈥淲hen you go down a hill, you are holding on for dear life. I learned not to put my hands near the camel鈥檚 mouth because they spit a lot.鈥�听 Since the trip was Partlow-Loyall鈥檚 first time participating in Model Arab League, she spent months preparing for her role as a delegate for Morocco.听 鈥淭he most exciting part of the trip was the first day of the conference,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have never done model anything before, so I spent months studying the handbook and doing so much research. I was very nervous on the first day, but I found myself confidant working with the other delegates. I wouldn鈥檛 have changed anything about the trip.鈥�听 Issac Thomas, sophomore political science and history major, enjoyed experiencing a new culture during his first trip abroad.听听 鈥淭he most exciting thing beyond a shadow of a doubt was interacting with the local people and hearing them speak their local dialects,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 understand any of it, but it makes you realize you are in the old world and in the heart of ancient traditions.鈥�听 Thomas was so moved by the kindness and generosity he saw in Morocco that he would like to study abroad there in the future.听 鈥淚 like to meet people from all different parts of the world,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淭o me, there is nothing more boring than living the same life when you can meet different people and have new experiences. There is an overall feeling of friendliness in Morocco. I would love to study abroad in Rabat because it really made an impression.鈥�听 Solomon 鈥淩ap鈥檋ael鈥� Davis, a senior philosophy and international studies major, will forever be touched by the lifelong friendships he made with roommates at the International Model Arab League.听 鈥淭he most powerful part of the trip for me was the people I met while in Morocco and the relationships I built during the trip,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淢y roommates were Martin, a French Jamaican who lives in Canada, and Abdul, a Nigerian man who lives in Morocco. We became very good friends over the trip.鈥�听 Davis was surprised by the instant connection that he felt with people he鈥檚 only known for a short amount of time.听 鈥淲hen we got back from Morocco at the airport, I took out my cell phone, and I had two very heartwarming messages from Martin and Abdul,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t really means a lot to me that these two people I met two weeks ago cared enough to see if I made it home safely. Abdul called me his 鈥榝riend and brother.鈥� I almost started crying. These connections are so natural that I am sure the friendships will last a lifetime.鈥�]]> /news-archive/2019/05/06/gilman/ Mon, 06 May 2019 21:59:58 +0000 /news/?p=74228 ... Record number of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock students receive study abroad Gilman Scholarships]]> The U.S. Department of State鈥檚 has been awarded to three University of Arkansas at Little Rock students who will study or work abroad this summer. This is a record number of scholarship recipients for 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in a single application cycle. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, was the only other Arkansas college or university with Gilman Scholarship recipients. 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock student winners include:

• Madeline (Maddie) Burke of Little Rock will work in Spain. She is an international studies major with a minor in legal studies and will graduate in December.
• Ryan Bourgoin of Sherwood, a sophomore political science major, will study in Cuba. He serves as editor of The Forum and will graduate in 2021.
• Solomon Ra’phael Davis will study abroad in the Netherlands. He is a junior double majoring in philosophy and international studies. He will graduate in May 2020.

All three of this year鈥檚 recipients are Donaghey Scholars. 鈥淭his is the first time that 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has had three Gilman winners in one term, which is amazing, considering the competitive nature of the scholarship,鈥� said Emily Bell, Director of Study Abroad. 鈥淭his summer cycle, there were 5,000 students who applied and only 1,000 were given scholarships, so that speaks to the quality of the scholarship essays these three students produced.鈥� Including this summer鈥檚 recipients, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock has had 17 winners in the past five years who have received $61,000 in scholarship funding for study abroad programs. Burke leaves for Spain on May 19 and will intern at Attittud, a business consultant firm, where she will assist in the management and organization of consulting projects. She will return July 27. 鈥淭his will be my first internship, so I want to use this opportunity to gain a better sense of what sort of career I want after graduation,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 also want to use this opportunity to network with other people around the world and further develop my professional skills.鈥� Burke also has intermediate Spanish-speaking skills and hopes to improve her skills while she is in Spain. 鈥淚 chose to intern abroad in Spain to learn more about the history and culture. Several people I know have studied abroad in Spain and told me about their experiences, so my decision was also slightly influenced by their stories,鈥� she said. Bourgoin leaves for Cuba on June 2 and returns July 20. He will take two courses – one in Latin American politics and another in Latin American social revolutions – at the Instituto de Filosofia in Havana. 鈥淚 wanted a study abroad experience that would be radically different from what I was used to at home, and given Cuba’s political situation and the nation’s prevailing values, I thought that this would be the best place to go,鈥� Bourgoin said. 鈥淎lso, as a student of political science, I figured that such an insular and idiosyncratic state would be the most interesting destination, especially since Cuba has only recently opened up relations with the U.S. and transitioned out of the Castro era. Also, I wanted to immerse myself in the Spanish language and decided that Cuba’s alienation from the English-speaking world would make it a good place to do this.鈥� Bourgoin will stay in Vedado, a student neighborhood in Havana’s business district. While he鈥檚 there, he plans to tour southern Cuba to visit historic sites such as Playa Gir贸n (a major landing site for the Bay of Pigs Invasion) and the Terrazas, a nature reserve reserve and reclamation of nature. 鈥淢y main career interest is writing novels, essays, and short stories about philosophy and politics, so I think experience abroad is invaluable,鈥� he said. 鈥淩eceiving the Gilman award will open up new opportunities for experience abroad by connecting me to an extensive alumni network and making me more competitive for programs hosted by Fulbright and the Peace Corps, a factor that also might play into getting my work noticed.鈥� 鈥淎dditionally, the Gilman award has helped make it possible for me to explore the unique political climate of an insular socialist nation and allow me to study at one of its institutions of learning,鈥� he said. 鈥淏oth of these are great opportunities to step outside the assumptions of the given place and time in which I happened to be born and broaden my perspective of the world. It’s not every day you get to go to Cuba, so I think the Gilman award will help me develop a unique voice and worldview.鈥� Davis leaves June 20 for a seven-week stay in the Netherlands where he will take classes in law and politics at Maastricht University. 鈥淚 wanted to spend time in the Netherlands to learn the language and learn about law and politics at the hub of international law,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his opportunity plays into my career path by making me a more competitive applicant for law school and Ph.D. in political science programs. It also helps prepare me to work in the internationally connected world that we live in. It will also connect me with diplomats that may do the kind of work I am interested in professionally.鈥� In addition to being a Donaghey Scholar, Davis is president of the the International听Honor Society of Philosophy; president of 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 International Studies Association for Undergrads; and president of the Ethics Bowl Debate Team. The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship is a congressionally funded program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department. The award was named after the late congressman Benjamin A. Gilman, who served 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. The scholarship鈥檚 mission is to broaden and diversify the student population that studies and interns abroad. 鈥淚 am very excited that the time and effort Maddie, Ra’phael, and Ryan dedicated to applying for the scholarship paid off,鈥� Bell added. 鈥淭hey spent extensive time planning for their unique study abroad experiences, and I know with the help of the Gilman scholarship, their time abroad will be even more meaningful. I’m proud that these three will be representing our campus internationally, and we look forward to hearing about their experiences upon their return to campus in the fall.鈥� Photo top right: Maddie Burke,听Ra’phael Davis, and Ryan Bourgoin received Gilman Scholarships to study or work abroad this summer. Photo by Benjamin Krain    ]]>