Ketsia Malala, received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and is now studying abroad in South Korea with a 12-week program.
The Gilman Scholarship facilitates students to intern or study abroad with the purpose to attain skillful knowledge that will help with national security and economic competitiveness. It is only awarded to U.S. citizens that are receiving a Federal Pell Grant at a two-year or four-year university.
Malala is currently working on receiving her bachelor’s in marketing management.
Years prior she took an interest in visiting South Korea. Once she saw the program gave an option to study abroad in that country she began to apply for different scholarships. She applied to four but only received three, including the Business Student Studying Abroad scholarship. Malala received enough money to pay for the program, airline fee, and quarantine expenses. She’s now in the city of Seoul and is putting her skills to practice along with enhancing her Korean language. The 21-year-old was offered to intern for a foreign company called Global.
Although she isn’t getting paid to work, it counts as a three-credit-hour course at the University of North Georgia. She helps create advertisements for other companies and also assists other students to be more involved with the program itself. “The company is really nice, they pay for our lunch and the best part is that we all eat together. Including the president and vice president, it really feels like a team” Malala said, “ it’s also very comfortable, they don’t make us dress professionally, we’re able to wear sweats and tennis shoes and still get our job done.”
When the intern first arrived, she had to be quarantined for 10 days in her hotel. Malala said, “I spent time practicing my Korean skills, watching Korean dramas, practicing using my chopsticks correctly, and tried speaking as much as I could with my family since I knew I wouldn’t have much time later.” Once she was able to leave the hotel, her routine consisted of leaving at 8 a.m. and clocking in from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. After work, she usually goes and grabs a bite with co-workers, and on the weekends she goes out to different cities and walks around with her new friends that she met through the program.
Malala said she misses her family and friends the most, and although the 14-hour difference makes communication hard she tries to stay in touch as much as possible.
“Studying abroad can be expensive and challenging. I recommend everyone to take the experience and apply for many scholarships. It really helps open your mind to new things.” -Ketsia Malala
As she is interning in a foreign country, she’s begun to work on her plans for the summer. Malala is hoping to get approved for a two-year master’s degree program in Taiwan.
