Rojales based Fiona Cao Xia has been selected as the beneficiary of the Amancio Ortega Foundation Scholarship Programme.
Fiona has a prominent role in the musical field of Rojales, being a member of two Canadian musical societies, Jazz Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra, playing piano and clarinet.
The Amancio Ortega Foundation Scholarship Programme was launched in 2010, offering 50 scholarships to students from Galicia to study year eleven in the United States.
In 2013, the initiative was extended to the rest of Spain, and included Canada as a new destination. Since then, the number of scholarships has gradually increased.
Besides encouraging young people to learn English, the Programme also focuses on cultural immersion.
Students live with a host family and attend local schools. This encourages their immersion in the host country’s culture and develops their adaptability. Their age is ideal for soaking up knowledge and life experiences, while at the same time guaranteeing sufficient responsibility and independence for full integration.
The Scholarship covers all the services required for a school year abroad: travel, school fees and enrolment in a state school, accommodation and board with a host family, health and accident insurance, validation of the academic year and a support service during the entire stay.
In the 2020-21 edition, COVID-19 restrictions led the Amancio Ortega Foundation to design an online educational programme for the students who were selected (Advanced Talent Training).
In September 2021 the Amancio Ortega Foundation resumed the original Programme and announced 400 scholarships for the 2022-23 year in Canada or the United States.
In the 2023-24 edition, the Programme has announced 400 scholarships for fourth-year ESO (Compulsory Secondary Education) students who would like to study year eleven in Canada or the United States.
Up to the year 2022, over 4,000 students have benefited from the Amancio Ortega Foundation Scholarship Programme.
A spokesperson from Rojales Town Hall, said: “Fiona has also played the role of lead singer and won the Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre.
“Active as a local volunteer, she also won the high school’s Mathematics Excellence Award.”
