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Valentine Joaceus ’26
Valentine Joaceus ’26 has dreamed of studying abroad since high school, with Europe high on her wish list. Now, the Brooklyn native, a student in MMC’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), is set to bring her goals to fruition, thanks to a highly competitive scholarship award.
Joaceus is a 2025 recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, offered twice each academic year by the U.S. Department of State to help students of limited means study or intern abroad. A double major in Psychology and Business, she’ll head to Rome this August and spend the Fall 2025 semester in the city, taking classes in international business finance and Italian culture facilitated by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). It will be her first time leaving the country.
“I’m a first-generation college student, and I’ve never really had the opportunity to travel, though I love learning about new cultures,” she said. “I’m happy that I made the leap and decided to apply.”
The Gilman Scholarship Program was launched in 2001 to support American students in developing the professional skills, language abilities, and global knowledge necessary for successful careers. Nearly 50 percent of Gilman scholars are first-generation college students, with recipients receiving up to $5,000 in base funding. Joaceus, MMC’s eighth Gilman scholar since 2012 and the second in two years to travel to Italy, received $3,000 to study abroad.
She learned of the opportunity after spotting posters about the program on campus. Though interested, she thought it might be out of her reach and filed the scholarship in the back of her mind until a college-wide email sent by Adrienne Baxter Bell, Ph.D., a professor of Art History and director of the College Honors Program and External Student Scholarships, prompted her to inquire about applying.
With Professor Bell’s help and encouragement, Joaceus got to work drafting and revising her application essay. Professor Bell would even play a role in Joaceus’s decision to study in Italy, though inadvertently. “I’d taken an Art History course with Professor Bell where we talked a lot about the Colosseum and other iconic art sites in Italy and her experiences traveling there,” Joaceus said. “It made me want to go and see it all in person. I’m a hands-on learner, so being there physically is really meaningful for me.”
Along the way, she’s also gotten help from other departments at the College, both in applying for the Gilman award and now as she prepares for her trip.
The HEOP office, which Joaceus said has been a steady support throughout her college experience, gave her the motivational push she needed when self-doubt began to creep in. “I kept telling myself that I wasn’t going to go through with the application process because I didn’t think I’d win, and it’s also a lot to manage in addition to my classes,” she said. “But the HEOP office just kept pushing me forward and helped me stay on track. I can’t really put into words what the HEOP program means to me—it just feels like family.”
Moreover, Joaceus has received input from Visiting Assistant Professor of Business – Fashion Marketing, Dominique Norman, who’d spent time studying abroad in Florence, Italy.
“I didn’t know how to prepare since I’ve never left the country—this is a new experience for me, so I’m learning as I go,” Joaceus said. “But Professor Norman gave me a list of things to remember, which has helped.”
Though she’s nervous about leaving her friends behind—especially as she enters her senior year at MMC—and making new ones abroad, her fear is outpaced by her excitement.
“I read a quote once that said that a lot of people are ignorant because they stay in the little corner of the world they were born or raised in and don’t take the leap of learning about different cultures and other people’s way of life,” she said. “I’m ready for those opportunities to grow and learn that travel brings.”
She plans to keep a journal of her experiences in Italy and take plenty of photos and videos—not only for her own memories but also to help inspire classmates and other first-generation college students to apply for similar scholarships and travel overseas.
“I’m stepping outside my comfort zone, and I want to encourage other students to do the same,” she said. “It can be scary, but I would tell them that college is a great time to have these kinds of experiences. You’ll grow as a person and become more understanding and open-minded. That would be my pitch.”
Published: June 23, 2025
Hope Knight ’85, a trailblazing executive and public servant, has been named a 2025 Woman of Influence by Crain’s New York Business. Honorees of the program, who were announced in April, are visionary women leaders who drive progress across diverse sectors, including real estate, finance, health care, sports, the nonprofit world, and more.
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