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May 19, 2022 鈥� DENTON 鈥� Much of Riley-Grace Huggins鈥� childhood was spent surrounded by her mother鈥檚 books, particularly those concerning mythology that fueled a passion for ancient Greek culture.

As she moved through secondary education, her fascination took her to public libraries, where she studied pictures of temples and tombs and vases.

But reading about Greece was never enough. She dreamed of exploring Greece itself.

鈥淚 told my mom I was going to find a way to get there,鈥� Huggins said. 鈥淢y life has been leading up to this.鈥�

After earning four scholarships this year, she is realizing her dream this summer.

Huggins, a 草莓传媒官网下载 junior from Lewisville majoring in English Literature with minors in journalism and history, a participant in the 草莓传媒官网下载 BA-MA Accelerated Program and the daughter of a 草莓传媒官网下载 alumna, departed this week to study in Greece. The scholarships will allow Huggins to spend two and a half months, from May to August, in Athens.

鈥淚 had to turn down a senior trip in high school to Greece and Rome because I couldn鈥檛 afford it,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淣ow, instead of a two-week trip chaperoned by high-school teachers, I鈥檓 going for a whole summer.鈥�

Huggins won the Gilman Award, from the U.S. Department of State鈥檚 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program; the Russel R. Taylor Foundation Award, through the American Institute for Foreign Study; the 草莓传媒官网下载 Study Abroad Scholarship; and Terry Foundation Study Abroad stipend, from Houston鈥檚 Terry Foundation.

She expected one. But all four?

鈥淏ecause I鈥檓 a Terry scholar, I was expecting that stipend,鈥� Huggins said. 鈥淏ut the others were a surprise. It鈥檚 unfathomable. I am very blessed.鈥�

Huggins, however, didn鈥檛 wait for the blessing to arrive. She took out loans for part of the cost of the trip to meet a payment deadline of May 1. Fortunately, the loans had not been dispersed before she received word of the scholarships, so she embarked on her dream trip without debt hanging over her.

While she intends to soak up everything Athens has to offer, she has targeted a few sites for particular attention. Topping the list, the Acropolis.

鈥淚 have a huge interest in the Temple of Athena Nike,鈥� Huggins said. 鈥淚 really love studying that temple.

鈥淚 also want to see the Kerameikos,鈥� she said of an area northwest of the Acropolis. This was the potters' section of Athens, and from it comes the English word "ceramic.鈥�

鈥淭he ancient historical sites are everywhere, so I get to experience that first hand.鈥�

鈥淭hese experiences are transformative,鈥� said 草莓传媒官网下载 English professor Dr. Ashley Bender, who is Huggins' advisor and knew her before she came to 草莓传媒官网下载. 鈥淚 think most folks who have traveled abroad will say something like they came back different, changed, that they had grown as an individual and had developed a deeper appreciation for other places and cultures. Studying abroad doesn't just change our education but changes our relationship to education by helping us to see that learning isn't just something that happens in a classroom, that each of the places we exist in offers itself to us to as a space in which we can learn and grow, intellectually and personally.鈥�

After returning from Greece, Huggins will enter her senior year and her final preparations for graduate degrees.

鈥淎round my sophomore year, I began to realize that I really wanted to pursue degrees beyond my bachelor of arts,鈥� she said. 鈥淎fter I complete my B.A., I鈥檒l have one year for my master鈥檚 in literature, and then I鈥檇 like to pursue a doctorate, probably related to literature of classical studies to continue this life-long passion for ancient Greek culture.

鈥淕oing on this trip and spending time at the foreign universities and with people of different backgrounds, that will definitely shape my future studies and future career plans.鈥�

Those career plans are to remain in academia, contributing to research on Greco-Roman culture.

鈥淕oing on this trip and spending time at the foreign universities and with people of different backgrounds will definitely shape my future studies and future career plans,鈥� Huggins said. 鈥淭his trip will open doors for international opportunities.鈥�

"From the first moment, I was so impressed with Riley-Grace," Dr. Bender said. "Her intellectual curiosity, her independence, her confidence and sense of self. Riley-Grace already had a plan of what she wanted to do, and how she wanted to get there. She's an extraordinarily intelligent person."

 

Page last updated 1:13 PM, October 5, 2022