Studying "Abroad" in the Empire: Higher Education and Cuban, Puerto Rican, Hawaiian, and Filipino Students in the Continental United States, 1898-1917

Rosie Click

My dissertation explores state, university, and private educational programs that brought students from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawai'i, and the Philippines to the continental US in the early 20th century. These "international" student programs pioneered in the years after the Spanish-American War paved the way for future study abroad initiatives later in the century, as they aimed to strengthen political ties between the US and its new territories, train students for technical and teaching jobs, and promote pro-US sentiment in places that had been independent or had burgeoning independence movements at the time of US occupation. They were often modeled after industrial education initiatives for Black and Native students in the US, with some overseas students even attending schools like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School or the Tuskegee Institute. Once in the States, many students experienced the cultural alienation and isolation that often accompanies studying abroad; despite this, many went on to have successful careers in business, education, law, or other technical fields after returning home. Some students advocated for independence of their islands while in school, while others emphasized gratitude for their educational benefactors; some students did both. My dissertation explores both the diplomatic and institutional forces behind these early "study abroad" programs for students within the overseas US empire as well as the experiences of the students who took part in them, highlighting an important facet of US imperial policy, its links to domestic education policy, and its impact on students and their families.

About Rosie Click

Rosie Click is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the History Department at Georgetown University. She received an MA in Latin American Studies from Tulane University in May 2022, and a BA in Latin American Studies and English from Tulane University in May 2019. Her dissertation research focuses on students from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawai'i, and the Philippines who came to the continental US for higher education from 1898-1917, often on government or privately funded scholarships to attend programs designed for students from overseas. Rosie is a proud member of the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE), the graduate student labor union at Georgetown, and has served in various executive board and organizing roles. Outside of Georgetown, Rosie serves as the secretary of the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites, an organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of women's history throughout the US. She is also a museum captain for the Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian, a group dedicated to the documentation and protection of the Smithsonian collections and museums.