Laura Gil
Majors: Business Economics, International Business, and Management Information Systems
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Scholarships: Pathway to Success: Summer Start Scholarship, Erie Insurance Group Leadership Scholarship, PNC Leadership Scholarship, Benjamin A. and Carolyn A. Lane Open Doors Scholarship, and Pam and Greg Slusher Open Doors Scholarship.
On choosing her majors: My journey to three majors started when I saw the economic crisis that was happening in Venezuela and decided to major in Business Economics. After doing some research, I learned that there are many factors, even very small ones, that can affect a country’s economy, so I added International Business. Finally, I realized that I needed to understand how to better comprehend and portray data for other people to understand issues that happen globally, so I added Management Information Systems.
Proudest accomplishment at Behrend: Graduating with three majors in four years.
Campus involvement: Student Government Association, Multicultural Council, Global Boarders, and Global Ambassadors.
Awards and Recognitions: Behrend Excellence Award and the Ardeth and Norman Frisbey International Student Award, a Penn State award that recognizes undergraduate students who have contributed significantly to furthering international understanding.
What makes her unique: I am very organized and driven to learn more about what is happening around the globe.
Globe-hopping: I have traveled to more than ten countries already!
Top priority: Getting a doctoral degree.
Her passion: Learning about how we are all connected through data.
Advice for first-year students: Get involved and start networking early on!
On overcoming obstacles: As an international student, I have faced many challenges to get to where I am, but I never let any of those stop me from reaching my goals.
Laura plans to attend graduate school and eventually earn a Ph.D.