Human Capital, Human Agency, and Social Systems in the Experience of Scholarship Alumni: A Case Study of the Paraguayan Scholarship Program Don Carlos Antonio López (BECAL)

Abstract

Government-funded scholarship programs play a crucial role in shaping global knowledge, promoting international mobility, and building human capital. These programs exist for various reasons, but their success often depends on the experience of scholarship recipients and in their capacity to apply their newly acquired skills in meaningful ways. Moreover, beyond their capacity-building goals, these programs can serve as a catalyst for students’ personal and professional growth. Thus, understanding how students navigate the scholarship application process, their academic and social experiences abroad, and their post-graduation trajectories offers critical insights into the importance of these initiatives. This dissertation explored the perceptions of challenges and opportunities of study abroad experiences as well as contribution to home country through the eyes of Paraguayan scholarship alumni. To this end, I carried out document analysis and alumni interviews. Documents pertaining to the establishment, design and evaluation of the BECAL program were analyzed to provide context to the data analysis. Moreover, twenty-six BECAL scholarship alumni were interviewed to learn about their scholarship application process, their international experiences, and return to their home country. The data was analyzed using Human Capital, Human Agency theory, and navigational and social capitals. The analysis of document and interview data reveals insights into the design, implementation, and impact of the BECAL scholarship program in Paraguay. Established to support academically promising students with limited financial resources, BECAL aims to promote human capital development through international higher education opportunities. While the program facilitates access to global academic experiences, findings indicate that students often require additional economic and social capital to fully seize these opportunities. Furthermore, alumni interviews highlight both the transformative nature of the program as well as its structural limitations. Alumni considered their international experiences as life-changing, contributing to both personal growth and professional advancement. Many viewed the scholarship as a unique opportunity that not only shaped their careers but also influenced their families and communities. Additionally, despite unequal access, alumni demonstrated agency and strategic planning in navigating the application process, using their navigational and social capital for support. Alumni also noted challenges which included personal struggles such as anxiety, language barriers, and cultural adaptation abroad, as well as reintegration difficulties upon returning to Paraguay. Despite challenges identified by BECAL alumni, the program remains the only government-funded scholarship covering key knowledge areas and foreign language courses for Paraguayans, offering a transformative opportunity for personal and professional growth. Alumni experiences highlighted the program’s dual role in advancing human capital while emphasizing the need for policy reforms to enhance human capital contribution to Paraguay’s development.