Columbia Study Abroad Scholarships
Tales of Drug Traffickers and Tropical Forestry
Colombia is most typically associated with drug lords and smuggling, but the country, as a destination for Latin American studies, provides a vast experiential classroom. Students engaged in federal programs will likely attack curriculum that douses them in local culture, color, flavors and the common language while others are more concerned with the daily devastation of the Amazon Rainforest.
Federal Scholarships: Something for Everyone
Since the David L. Boren Scholarships are designed to encourage students to head off to non-traditional and security-intensive countries, Colombia may be just what the federal government ordered. Yes, the country is a cacophony of environmental beauty, but as far as national security concerns go it’s also rife with corruption and serious drug trafficking problems. Undergraduate and graduate students may apply for slightly different Boren Scholarships for programs in Colombia. Applicants must be willing to get to the nitty gritty of local culture and customs and be able to walk the walk and talk the talk when all is said and done. The purpose of the program is to crank out top-notch international experts suitable for high-level careers in national security. If this sounds like something cool to you, and provided your academics are in order, you could be one of the lucky recipients of up to $26,000 for a graduate award.
Are you feeling like a down-on-your-luck undergraduate who envies those going off to intriguing international locations like Colombia, South America? The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships have rocketed to the top of the must-have scholarship list. The program is designed by the federal government to open doors to economically and socially disadvantaged young scholars who will be this country’s next generation of business and industry leaders. The crowd will be diverse and internationally savvy. If you are a Pell Grant recipient you should apply for consideration. There are over 700 Gilman Scholars winning the Publisher’s Clearinghouse of scholarships annually and taking off to distant locations. You could be among them. Up to $5,000 is awarded based on your level of need and the program you have planned.
Private Funds are Heavy on Rainforest Protection
Like many of the Central and South American countries, Colombia’s topography features juicy chunks of tropical Amazon rainforest tucked in amidst the ridges of Andes Mountains. Much of the rainforest regions are endangered thanks to lack of regulation and shortsighted mismanagement of valuable resources. The Rainforest Alliance is a world leader in conservation and preservation of these sensitive areas. The Kleinhans Fellowships, sponsored by the Alliance, provide necessary funding to graduate students wishing to work and do research in the Colombian rainforest region. Applicants should have interests in natural resource management, biodiversity or forestry to qualify. Fellowships are $15,000.
The Garden Club of America sponsors the GCA Awards in Tropical Botany. Part of this fund goes to a graduate student studying tropical botany at an international institution, while the second part of the fund is used to assist a student whose purpose is rainforest preservation. Applicants whose country of interest is Colombia, and who have reached doctoral level studies, may apply for consideration. Fellowships are $5,500. The GCA is considered by many to be nothing more than isolated groups of small-town gardeners, when in reality the organization is quite powerful and attached to its goal of conservation and preservation efforts on a global level.
Pre-doctoral students who require short-term travel to Colombia for research may qualify for the James R. Scobie Memorial Award for Preliminary Ph.D. Research. The scholarship is sponsored by the Conference on Latin American History. Scholarships max out at $1,000 and applicants must have well-defined proposals for research that will be considered as part of the application.
Scholarships for Colombian Students
The Christensen Fund Graduate Fellowships are sponsored by the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center. The program is effective in bringing Colombian students, and others from Latin America, in the latter stages of graduate and post-graduate studies to the U.S. to expand their knowledge of sustainable systems and natural resources management. International students are expected to become more engaged agents in their homeland where Amazon rainforest conservation is a high priority. Fellowships generously include travel expenses and tuition for the duration of the program.
