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Rebecca Whitesell awarded Gilman Scholarship

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News from Carroll College 

HELENA — Carroll College is pleased to announce that Rebecca Whitesell is one of 395 American undergraduate students from 152 colleges and universities across the United States selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study or intern abroad during the summer of 2019. Whitesell, a psychology major from Arlee, will be a senior this fall and is currently interning in Santiago, Chile.

 In Santiago, Whitesell is actively working alongside a female entrepreneur who runs Casa Esperanza, a residence for girls who are over the age limit to be in an orphanage and Hogar La Granja, an orphanage for underage girls who have experienced trauma and abuse in their lives. 

Their mission is to help meet the physical, emotional, spiritual, and educational needs of children and young people living in one of the poorest, most socio-economically disadvantaged communities in the Santiago metro area. Some of the area’s most complex problems involve dropping out of high school, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, drug abuse, and addiction.

As an intern at Casa Esperanza and Hogar La Granja, Whitesell’s responsibilities are vast, including helping the residents with their understanding of time management, acquiring independent life skills, and providing emotional support. Also, she teaches English while the residents help her to improve her Spanish. Whitesell shared that recently she has taken on the opportunity to work with one brilliant girl at Hogar La Granja who suffers from depression and is considered high risk by her therapist. As a trusted intern of Casa Esperanza and Hogar La Granja, Whitesell provides motivation and guidance as well as enhanced awareness of mental illness. 

“My time in Chile has been an incredible journey and every day I am learning more about a variety of issues that these children must face every day and the reality of the socio-economic caste system in Chile. I am grateful to be here and look forward to working more closely with Casa Esperanza and Hogar La Granja,” Whitesell said.

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