Study Abroad Trip

Dear friends, My name is Yerlyn Rojas and I am a sophomore at Georgetown University, double majoring in Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies. I am also a graduate of the Class of 2008 from the Cornelia Connelly Center in the Lower East Side of New York City. I am reaching out to you for your support. I have been offered the opportunity of a lifetime to study abroad at the University of Melbourne in Australia for the fall 2014 semester. While I am a 1789 Georgetown University scholarship recipient, this generous financial aid package does not cover all of my expenses and I do not have the financial resources to pay for some aspects of the trip. Specifically, I am hoping to fundraise $4500 to cover the costs of a student visa ($880), a round-trip flight ($2600), books, food, Internet access and other small personal expenses.

I emigrated from the Dominican Republic when I was six years old in 2000. My mother brought me to the United States to achieve the American Dream: being financially stable enough that I can take advantage of all the opportunities the United States has to offer. For many immigrants, including my mother and myself, we believe education is the way to attain this dream. For that reason, my mother enrolled me as a 5th grade student in the Cornelia Connelly Center in 2004 so that I could get the best education possible in Alphabet City. After that, I was encouraged to attend an all girls' Catholic high school in the Upper East Side "“ St. Vincent Ferrer High School. While in high school, I worked hard with the support of my mother and my middle school to get into one of the best universities in the country. Now, Georgetown is giving me an opportunity that I do not want to pass up on.

Georgetown University emphasizes the Jesuit principle of Cura Personalis. As a Hoya, I've been instilled with the ideal of "caring for the whole person," so that person can reach her it's fullest potential. Part of Cura Personalis is also the growth of the student through experience. Studying abroad in Australia is an opportunity for me to live out the Jesuit ideal. I will experience a variety of cultures in Melbourne, as it is the most culturally diverse city in Australia. Simultaneously, I will also be immersed in the Australian culture.

While abroad, I hope to also develop the educational facet of Cura Personalis. I will further study the intersection between Psychology and Women's and Gender Studies. For example, I am particularly interested in family psychology. There are different parenting styles that affect a child's attachment to his or her parents. The presence of economic strain disrupts the parents' emotional wellbeing, fracturing family relationships. In return, children who are insecurely attached to their parents face many struggles, such as being unable to explore their environment. In Australia, I will focus my studies on public policy and the ways in which it has been implemented to help the increasing immigrant population of women and children in Melbourne.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you are able to donate, thank you in advance. If you cannot, I still would like to thank you for taking time out of your day to read this note. 

Warmest regards,
Yerlyn Rojas