Verenice Hernandez Studies in Spain
MCC student Verenice Hernandez spent her spring semester immersed in a life-changing experience—studying abroad in Seville, Spain.
“I wanted the opportunity to visit a part of the world I had never been to before and experience life in a different culture,” she said.
While in Spain, Hernandez studied language and took three different Spanish courses.
“Spain was the country I wanted to visit the most, and the program fit perfectly with my schedule and goals,” she added.
Her semester abroad also gave her the chance to explore beyond Spain—traveling to the Netherlands, Italy, Croatia, France, Greece, and England.
Hernandez made the opportunity possible through three scholarships. One of them is the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship. This highly competitive national program awards 3,500 scholarships of up to $5,000 each year to U.S. citizen undergraduates to study or intern abroad. The scholarships together ended up covering 80% of her program cost.
“I applied for these scholarships because I’ve learned to advocate for myself and wanted to take every opportunity to make my dream of studying abroad possible,” Hernandez said.
“I was especially impressed with Verenice's grit and determination to study abroad,” said Linsday Carson, who leads MCC’s study abroad program. “Rather than give up and walk away from the opportunity when we discussed the cost, she applied for three scholarships and earned a total of $9,000 in awards.”
Hernandez said her favorite part of studying abroad was meeting other students who shared her curiosity and passion for exploring new cultures.
“It was rewarding to live a lifestyle so different from my own and adapt to it,” she said. “The most valuable thing I learned was how to connect with people from all over the world and appreciate perspectives different from my own.”
Because she had traveled outside the United States before, Hernandez said she felt confident navigating the process. “It was manageable because I was genuinely invested in making it happen,” she said.
She encourages other students to consider studying abroad.
“It opens your eyes to how big the world really is,” she said. “It helps you understand different cultures and grow as a person in ways that staying home can’t.”
Now back in the U.S., Hernandez plans to apply what she learned abroad as she begins studying marketing at Roosevelt University through the University Center at MCC.
“Studying abroad taught me independence, confidence, and how to build connections with new people—all skills that will help me as I begin this next chapter.”
Through MCC’s partnership with the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs, students can earn credits by studying abroad in Austria, Costa Rica, England, France, Ireland, Ghana, Toronto, and Spain.