G’day mate! My name is Mariah Maldonado, and I am 20 years old. I was born and raised in Kansas but moved to Texas for high school. I am a business student at New York University. NYU’s home campus is in New York City, but I have studied abroad in the United Kingdom, Spain, and now, Australia!
My desire to study in Australia began when I was your age! All of my school projects were about Australian animals. While I loved the cute kangaroos and koalas, I was most interested in the deadly spiders, snakes, and sea creatures. These animals scare most people away from visiting Australia, but I was obsessed! By the way, I’ve only seen a few creepy crawlers while living in Sydney, most of which are harmless!
I never thought I would end up living in Australia, but after years of hard work, here I am! I couldn’t have done it without the help of my friends, my family, my university, and scholarship programs like the Gilman Scholarship. I am so excited to speak with you about my life in Australia and inspire you to become curious, confident, and compassionate global citizens!
Want to know more about how you can study or intern abroad when you are a college student? The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Learn more about the scholarship by clicking here!
