Nicolas Puente

2025 Gilman Scholarship Recipient

Hometown

Tampa, FL

Major

Dietetics/Nutrition; Fitness and Health

College

College of Health and Human Sciences

 

Established in 2001, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is committed to sending American students of limited financial means from all backgrounds to study abroad.

 

Nicolas was awarded the Gilman Scholarship as a rising senior to study abroad in France. In a perfect culmination of his Boilermaker experience, Nicolas sought to gain not only a culturally immersive experience, but also to observe firsthand what he discovered with great intrigue through his academics at Purdue. With a personal account of changing his own lifestyle during Covid lockdowns, Nicolas chose his major motivated by a desire to help others in his community to understand the connection between food and health. At Purdue, Nicolas immediately took an interest in the “French Paradox,” which is the notion that despite an abundance of “unhealthy” vices, the French maintain better health markers than in the United States. Inspired by his learning inside the classroom, Nicolas started a small business cooking and selling healthy meal preps for his fellow Boilermakers. In France, Nicolas is motivated to connect the dots between his academic understanding of nutrition, the American food industry, and what the French do differently. From visiting farmer’s market and a cheese cave to cooking with French chefs, Nicolas will share what he learns about French culture, food, and health when he presents a follow-on project to his peers in the Boiler Kitchen Club at Purdue.