Name: Liliana Beltran
Major: Human Development and Family Sciences
Year: Sophomore
Project: “First-Gen Abroad” Cohort – Answering any questions first-generation students have when it comes to applying for this trip. Once students know who got in, I will be making a cohort of first-gen students (similar to Heman Sweatt and FLI) where we will be exploring what is means to be first-gen abroad, how to maneuver a trip like this by themselves, and making a mini-community of first-gen students so that faces become more familiar as the trip gets closer.
Why this project: When it was time for me to apply for this Dubai trip, there was a lot of fear. Fear of “Am I even good enough for this trip? How will this even help me in the long run? Nobody has gone abroad in my family, so why should I? Am I going to be able to travel alone?” So I want to be there for this group in the same way I wish I would have had someone back then.
Why GSF: I think the trip to Dubai impacted me more than I expected it to, so I wanted to be able to give back to DDCE & Dr. Walker by helping students have an easier process leading up to the trip. This trip also wouldn’t have been possible without Isabel convincing me to apply and being there for me every step of the way, so I essentially want to be an Isabel for first-gen students!!
Favorite memory with DDCE: Meeting people I’d never meet/talk to around school, Dr. Walker’s speeches, and going to the Dubai frame by myself on my free day. It gave me such a confidence boost to be able to say I got out of my comfort zone in Dubai!
