WT Student Receives FEA Scholarship to Study in Norway

Read the full story here. CANYON, Texasโ€”One thing is for certain when it comes to Kimberly Mack and her desire to study abroadโ€” her determination to make it happen. Her dauntless determination earned this West Texas A&M University student a $10,000 Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) scholarship, and she is headed to Norway for a…

Published:


Read the full story here.

CANYON, Texasโ€”One thing is for certain when it comes to Kimberly Mack and her desire to study abroadโ€” her determination to make it happen. Her dauntless determination earned this West Texas A&M University student a $10,000 Fund for Education Abroad (FEA) scholarship, and she is headed to Norway for a year of study at the University of Oslo.

Mack, a sophomore political science major from New Orleans, La., is definitely a determined student. The New Orleans transplant is a first-generation student who started at Amarillo College and transferred to WTAMU. She is the first WTAMU student ever to receive a coveted FEA scholarship, and she is excited about the opportunities it will offer her.

โ€œI have always been fascinated with Norway because of its political philosophies, and I wanted to experience it for myself,โ€ Mack said. โ€œThe chance to learn about politics from professors and students who have different beliefs than my own was too big of an opportunity for me to pass up. I am the first person in my family to attend college so studying abroad is something none of us ever dreamed of. My mom is equal parts excited and scared for me. This is a new experience for both of us, and she is very excited to see me reach this goal.โ€

While at the University of Oslo, Mack will experience dorm life for the first time, and she plans to take a full course load of diverse classes.

โ€œIโ€™m taking a Norwegian language class every semester and a plethora of different political science and sociology classes,โ€ she said. โ€œTwo classes Iโ€™m most excited about are the University of Osloโ€™s version of United Nations and a sociology class called Migration, Diversity and Inequality.โ€

In her determination to study abroad, Mack met with Carolina Galloway, director of WTAMUโ€™sย Office of Study Abroad. In checking what scholarships Mack may be eligible for, Galloway was excited to see that she qualified for several, including the FEA.

โ€œIt has been really challenging to get applicants for the FEA from WT,โ€ Galloway said. โ€œThe scholarship awards up to $10,000, which most students love, but itโ€™s highly competitive and has an โ€˜oddโ€™ deadline of Jan. 10 so every year itโ€™s been a problem to get students to make that deadline.โ€

Not for Mack. She jumped right in, getting in touch with Laura Seals in theย Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarshipsย and applying for the FEA scholarship along with a few others suggested to her by Galloway and Seals.

โ€œKim seemed like a great candidate for scholarships, someone who has the passion, was interested in a very non-traditional location, with the personality that screams, โ€˜Iโ€™ll do it,โ€ plus the personal qualities that just seemed right,โ€ Galloway said. โ€œI was aware that FEA looks for some of those characteristics, all she needed was a little push.โ€

That little push, combined with Mackโ€™s dogged determination, landed her the FEA scholarship as well as an International Education Fee Scholarship from the Office of Study Abroadโ€”one that could give her up to $6,000 more for academic year in Norway. Galloway is waiting to hear if Mack is the recipient of any of the other scholarships she had applied for in her quest for study abroad support.

Mack is scheduled to leave Aug. 4 for her year abroad. She is currently using the app Duolingo to learn a bit of Norwegian before she lands in the Scandinavian country. While there, she hopes to take advantage of travel opportunities and plans to hike the Jotunheimen trails. Once she returns to WTAMU in the summer of 2019, Mack will fulfill two conditions required of the FEA scholarshipโ€”a service project and a blog. The service project will involve speaking to fellow WTAMU students about study abroad opportunities, and she will create a blog to share the experiences of her year in Norway.

โ€œI love both AC and WT,โ€ Mack said. โ€œThey have really helped me reach this goal, and without their support I wouldnโ€™t be here. They helped me realize I am smart enough to attend school and anything I dream of I can accomplish.โ€

And Mackโ€™s persistent determination definitely helped.

For more information about study abroad and scholarship opportunities at WTAMU, contact Galloway in theย Office of Study Abroadย at 806-651-5309 orย [email protected]ย or Laura Seals in theย Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarshipsย at 806-651-2587 orย [email protected].