Urban Studies Major Awarded Gilman Scholarship
Introduction
One of two UIC students whose study abroad semester is being funded by U.S. Department of State’s Gilman Scholarship, Aniya Payton is a fourth-year student in the urban studies program.
Payton, who has traveled to Mexico and Italy, will miss her UIC graduation this spring in Chicago. Even so, she jumped at the chance to finish her college career abroad.
“I’ve always been someone who likes to travel rather than vacation, just to really get to know people,” Payton said. “I think it’s important to get to know other cultures to then see how each one compares to other places I’ve been, or even back home.”
With her classes scheduled to begin in Argentina in late February, Payton took off for Buenos Aires last week and will be there through her UIC graduation, returning in early June.
“Getting to travel and see the world makes you such an open-minded and well-rounded person,” Payton said. “It makes you really value the different communities that we have here in Chicago, the different communities that we have in the U.S. And that diversity or anything you’re not familiar with is never something to be afraid of.”
Seeing the Americas through an urban lens
As part of the Gilman scholarship application, students were asked how they would incorporate what they learned abroad back home on their campuses and in their communities. Payton said she plans to advocate for more Black and underrepresented students to study abroad.
As for her area of study at UIC, Payton was drawn to the urban studies program while pursuing a degree in criminal justice.
“I felt like I was being more of a service to my community,” she said. “I feel like you can learn more about people and history through urban studies, which are things I’m obsessed with.”
With her required degree classes complete, she’s using her final semester to immerse herself in other American cultures. She has studied Spanish since high school and hopes Spanish-immersion classes will help her become more fluent as she learns about Argentina and its culture.
“Argentina is also so naturally diverse, because it’s a very long country, so it has different climates,” she said. “I think I’ll really be able to take in the infrastructure, the policies that they have and the way that it compares to a U.S. city like Chicago.”
When she returns in June, she hopes to encourage more Black and underrepresented students to take advantage of study abroad opportunities while they’re students.
“It’s more accessible than people think,” Payton said. “Getting to know the world is such a privilege, and if you’re able to do it, you should encourage more people to do it when they can.”
The scholarship pays up to $5,000 in tuition and fees to students.