From Barcelona to Boston: Kerry Bradley '26 embraces art in education

Elementary Education major Kerry Bradley ‘26 had always wanted to study abroad. She was supposed to take a trip to Europe as a senior in high school, but the trip was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Now several years later, the Massachusetts native has returned from her semester abroad in Barcelona and is bringing all that she learned from the experience to her Emmanuel classroom, and hopes to eventually bring it to her own classroom too.

As a recipient of a nationally competitive Gilman Scholarship, Bradley received financial support for the trip to Europe she’d been looking forward to since high school. “I’m incredibly thankful,” she said, “it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders when I heard I got the scholarship.”

Kerry Bradley '26 during her semester abroad last spring.

There have been five Gilman Scholarships awarded to Emmanuel College students since 2022. The national scholarship program, funded by the U.S. Department of State, is an opportunity for college students receiving a Pell Grant to apply and receive as much as $5,000 for their study abroad experience – which can be put towards airfare, room and board, program tuition, books and more.

“Studying abroad is attainable for everyone,” said Director of International Programs & Study Abroad Jill Meleedy. She said the Gilman Scholarship has made it possible for so many students over the years to study abroad. It takes planning on the student’s part, “but the work is worth it,” Meleedy added.

Exploring Europe

Experiences like studying abroad are “what living is all about,” Bradley said, and she plans to use all that she took away from the trip as inspiration for how she wants to live her life going forward: taking chances, exploring the world and seeing things from different perspectives.

While staying in Barcelona, Bradley visited the United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Austria and Italy, and thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet new people and learn from them. As the trip was her first time on a plane, she said it was an important chance for her to grow her confidence and be independent away from home.

“Having good experiences helps you become a better person,” Bradley added.

Education at Emmanuel

Bradley said she took plenty of inspiration from the art history and architecture she visited in her courses abroad.

Being a local student, Bradley has a passion for teaching and for the Boston Public Schools. She has spent her Emmanuel career falling in love with her major and the College, also serving as a tour guide.

Post-graduation, Bradley said her goal is to stay in Boston and teach, and expects her study abroad experience to be a benchmark in the way that she teaches her classes.

“A lot of what I learned will be incorporated in my classroom in the future,” Bradley said, such as putting an emphasis on embracing and learning from other cultures.

Now that she is back, Bradley is set to begin a service project as part of the Gilman Scholarship. Once a week, she will be teaching an after-school program at St. Catharine Drexel, teaching and encouraging students to engage with and learn from art, history and culture.

It’ll be great practice for developing lessons for her own classroom – and to start she’ll be bringing a lesson back with her from Barcelona to share with Boston students.

For more on the Gilman Scholarship and other external scholarships and internships, visit this page on the Emmanuel College website. To access the resources and support to find a program that works best for you, click here for more on study abroad at Emmanuel College.

The next application deadline for the Gilman Scholarship is October 10th.