Edith López, a student from IES Vega de Mijas, has been awarded one of the scholarships from the Amancio Ortega Foundation to study in the USA. Edith has passed the selection process and, thanks to her good results, she will be able to live this immersive experience with this scholarship that will allow her to live and study abroad for a year. She had been looking for an opportunity, a scholarship, programme or exchange for a long time and she has finally got it.

From a very early age, she knew that she wanted to study abroad. This is what the young woman told us on Monday 20th: "Since I was a child, I have always dreamed of studying abroad and very soon I started looking for opportunities. I looked at many options, scholarships and exchanges, even with private companies, but they asked exorbitant prices. A friend of my family had her daughter studying in Canada with a scholarship like this one and so I went for it. My family supported me, I did all the paperwork, I prepared thoroughly for the exams, and finally I got it. I am very happy and proud".

Edith will be studying her first year of baccalaureate in the USA next year. She will be staying with a local family where she will have her board included. This year around 400 scholarships have been awarded throughout Spain, which is a great achievement for this Mijeña. Since 2010 when this scholarship programme was created, more than 5,000 students have already participated in the initiative, integrating into the destination country, improving their English, socialising and acquiring many values. 

This scholarship covers all the services necessary to take a school year abroad and live a great experience: round-trip ticket, school fees and enrolment in a public high school, accommodation and board in a host family for ten months, medical and accident insurance, validation of the academic year and continuous support during the stay. 

According to the lucky girl, "the best thing about it is that you're going somewhere you don't know, where you're going to explore, you have to figure things out for yourself, meet new people and cultures, you have to find your own way... It's going to be, without a doubt, the best year of my life. I'm going to become more independent". 

Edith's family wanted to spread this news, as well as her school, IES Vega de Mijas, in Las Lagunas, to encourage other students who have the same dreams Edith to fulfil them. Her father, Juan Jesús López, was very proud of Edith's achievements and encourages her to explore and stand on her own feet in this new challenging situation. "She has achieved it on her own and by her own means. She has prepared everything, the documentation, the paperwork, the exams, the whole challenge and she has succeeded. It is a dream for all of us, although we, as a family, are now worried because she is going to be away for a whole year. The most important thing about all this is that she has the opportunity to go away for a year, to a place where you don't know anything or anyone. This will help her in the future to make a living wherever she wants, and also to improve her second languag", said her father. 

For young people, this type of immersive experience is very rewarding. In addition to the academic and linguistic immersion, they foster their independence and self-esteem, and learn to make decisions and take initiative.

Amancio Ortega Foundation Scholarship Programme

This scholarship programme was launched in 2010 and has already received 138,529 applications. A total of 5,175 scholarships have been awarded and the young people have shared with 3,640 host families. In September 2025, the new selection will begin for students in the 4th year of high school. The scholarship holders have to prove a minimum grade in their academic average and a specific English level test is carried out. The school year at the destination lasts ten months, from August to May. In order to facilitate full immersion in the host country, students are not allowed to return to Spain for the duration of the course and family visits are not allowed.

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