AJ Rivera
Fall 2019 Engagement Scholarship Recipient
First things first, I want to say thank you to everyone who has donated money towards the scholarship and for giving me the opportunity to continue my studies and achieve my goals. My time at the University of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico so far has been one of the greatest and most challenging experiences in my life. The PES Engagement scholarship has impacted my studies in the best way possible. Without work, it gets difficult to pay for expenses like textbooks, tuition, fees, food, and so much more. The PES Engagement scholarship has been able to pay for fees that would prevent me from continuing my education or pay for fees that I would not be able to pay for. I would be behind in most of my classes if I didn’t have the financial support to purchase textbooks.
With the scholarship, I am blessed to take three anthropology courses that will go towards my major and two French courses that will go towards my minor. The scholarship has also granted me to engage and attend different cultural events and establish a community with my peers and locals. I get to explore historical sites and visit tourist attractions with my new friends while learning about the Puerto Rican culture and practicing and enhancing my Spanish. I thank everyone once again for the scholarship and for allowing me to experience the best two weeks in Puerto Rico, so far.