Americans in Switzerland: Meet Gilman Scholar Nangha Cuadros

Nangha Cuadros

Nangha came to Switzerland as a recipient of the Gilman Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. We caught up with her to learn more about her experience here and with the program.

Nangha is a senior at the University of California, Davis, studying History and Political Science. She is pursuing an honors thesis about the history of women’s healthcare in Northern California during World War II.

From Nangha:

“I came to Switzerland to study the political sources of global inequality. I chose to study in Switzerland, in particular Geneva, because it is the center of global diplomacy and it is where the most important NGO’s have their headquarters such as the WTO, WHO, and UNEP. I felt that Geneva is the best location to study international relations.

“My time studying in Switzerland gave me a new perspective on the global south. I have a greater understanding why global inequality is such a complex issue to solve. Even NGO’s whose purpose is to eradicate global inequality are limited due to funding and/or influence from other nations. Going forward, I plan to go to Peru and work at a non-profit or help create a program to empower women and help decrease gender inequality.

“If there’s something I could bring back to the U.S. it would be Swiss croissants and Geneva’s beautiful architecture.”

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program provides undergraduate students of limited financial means scholarships to study abroad, internationalizing their outlook and preparing them to thrive in the global economy. For more information, see the Gilman Scholarship’s website here.