The trip, a part of the new Global Take-Off initiative, allows underrepresented students to experience studying abroad.
“There is an increasing awareness of the character and the composition of the students who go abroad,” said Louis Pérez, a professor of history who helped organize the trip. “We’re looking at social background, cultural background, gender, in-state and out-of-state students.”
Pérez said the opportunity to study abroad — particularly in a country where English is not used — allows students to understand more about a different culture and what it means to be an American in the 21st century.
Jaclyn Gilstrap, program director for the Center for Global Initiatives, said many students at the University do not have the opportunity to experience another culture. She said white, upper-class students tend to study abroad at higher rates than students with different backgrounds.
“We have begun what we call our open-access initiative, and this brings people together all around campus who are working together to open access to global opportunities to students who are underrepresented,” she said.
Gilstrap said she hopes more students go abroad with the initiative, made possible by a donation from UNC alumna Maribel Carrion.
Carrion, an Information and Technology Services senior director, provided the money for the Puerto Rico trip — along with money that will allow future first-years to make similar trips for the next five years.
Carrion, who is Puerto Rican, is on the Alumni Committee for Racial and Ethnic Diversity, which provides underrepresented students with opportunities they might not receive otherwise.
