Sophomore Damangeliz Martinez Lugo Receives Gilman-McCain Scholarship to Study Abroad in France

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Damangeliz Lugo

MACON – Mercer University sophomore Damangeliz Martinez Lugo recently received the Gilman-McCain Scholarship to study abroad in France this summer.

A congressionally funded initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the scholarship is named for the late Sen. John S. McCain from Arizona and provides awards of $5,000 for child dependents of active duty service members to study or intern abroad.

Lugo, from Ponce, Puerto Rico, is a chemistry major and French minor on the pre-med track.

During her study abroad experience in France, she hopes to improve her proficiency in the French language and learn more about the country’s history, culture and medical system.

“I am delighted that Mangie has been awarded a scholarship to study abroad in France,” said Dr. Katherine Roseau, assistant professor of French. “In my intermediate French course last semester, she pushed herself to participate in class discussion. She performed particularly well in speaking evaluations and in contributing to our discussion on the literature of Kim Thúy, an author who immigrated to Quebec from Vietnam. In France this summer, Mangie will take an intensive French language course and stay with a host family in Angers, and then she will take my French Society and Culture course in Paris. This is a fantastic opportunity for her to meet native speakers and reach a new level of linguistic and cultural competence through immersion.”

At Mercer, Lugo is a member of Women in Math and Science, the Spanish Club and the Criminal Justice and Sociology Club.

Upon graduation, she plans to attend medical school to become a pediatrician and aims to utilize her skills and experiences to work alongside organizations such as Doctors Without Borders.

“Receiving the Gilman-McCain Scholarship is an honor that will allow me to not only further develop my cross-cultural sensibilities but also to encourage peers and individuals from my local community to widen their horizons by studying abroad,” said Lugo. “I’m extremely grateful to the Gilman Scholarship Program for selecting me for this opportunity and helping transform my dream of studying abroad into reality.”

Developed under the framework of the State Department’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, the Gilman-McCain Scholarship will provide 100 awards for the current academic year to eligible students enrolled at accredited U.S. colleges and universities who receive any type of Title IV federal financial aid.