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Mexican student Maraly Quistian spent the fall term studying at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ School of Business.

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As she approached the final years of her commerce degree, Mexican student Maraly Quistian had an urge to study abroad and gain new experience. She chose Queen’s for its high-calibre School of Business (QSB).

But she wouldn’t have been able to make it happen without the help of scholarships granted through the Canadian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), which she discovered through the international office at her institution.

“These scholarships enable many top foreign students needing financial support to come to ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥,” says Jim Lee, Vice-Provost (International). “The dreams of these students wishing to study abroad can come true and it makes our campus a far more diverse and stimulating place to be for all of our students.”

The DFAIT Student Exchange Program (SEP) helps students from around the world – South Asia and Latin America in particular – meet the high costs of studying abroad. For the 2012-13 academic year, the program has brought 20 students from 9 different countries to Queen’s, for either one or two terms.

Along with her QSB courses, Ms Quistian worked with Queen’s Business Consulting, which gives students the opportunity to provide consulting services to Kingston businesses under the direction of Queen’s faculty. Ms Quistian was thrilled to gain direct experience with clients in a Canadian business setting. She also lived with five Canadian women, all Queen’s students, while in Kingston, and had the opportunity to travel to different cities and the Muskoka region during her spare time.

“The experience was enriching in every sense – academically, personally and culturally,” says Ms Quistian, who studies at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Laguna. “The DFAIT scholarship made this possible for me.”

The are administered by the . The awards vary depending on a student’s country of origin and have several different criteria. DFAIT also offers scholarships to Canadian students hoping to study abroad.