[UWF Kugelman Honors Program - Gigi Maduro - International Honors Student graphic]

[Gigi Maduro speaking]
My name is Gionna Maduro, and I am a business administration major focusing on management. I’m currently in my sophomore year. I’m actually an international student from the Caribbean—I come from Curaçao. It’s a small island near Aruba, which more people tend to know. It was always my dream to come study in the United States, and the financial institution from back home where I’m from signed a contract with UWF that allows me to pay in-state tuition. That was one of the main reasons I chose to come here.

I feel like the Honors experience is very different from just being a regular student because of the resources it provides and the Honors community as a whole. It offers so many opportunities, such as traveling, studying abroad, participating in seminars, and taking classes like Service Learning and E-Portfolio. All of these are additional resources beyond what my major or the university itself offers, and they help you develop yourself professionally for the future.

I’ve never felt outcasted here or felt different because of my international status. I’ve always felt like I belonged. Where I come from, we don’t really have what’s called an “Honors experience,” so it was something completely new that I learned about when I came to the United States. When I told my family about it, they asked what it meant, and I told them—half-jokingly—that it basically means I’m smarter, though I meant that in the most humble way possible. But it really goes beyond that.

It’s about the resources and the recognition it provides. It’s the way that future employers or graduate schools will look at you and say, “Oh, this was an Honors student.” That tells them you have motivation, determination, and perseverance—a spirit and drive that will make you stand out and set you apart from the rest.