Fifteen University of Arkansas undergraduates have been
selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International
Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, for their study abroad
program during the spring and summer 2013 term.
This award allows undergraduate students with high financial need the
opportunity to study or participate in an internship abroad, develop valuable
career and language skills, and prepare themselves for the global economy while
serving as citizen ambassadors in their host country.
The awarded students selected study abroad programs in
Chile, China, Costa Rica, France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Korea,
Turkey and the UK for the spring or summer of 2013. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply
towards their study abroad program costs, and a limited number of students will
also receive additional funding for language study through the Critical Need
Language Awards, for a total award of $8,000.
One recipient, currently studying abroad on an exchange
program in Spain, commented, “As with any scholarship I earn, I feel very
blessed and extremely honored to have received it. With the Gilman scholarship
especially, though, I feel impeccably proud to have been chosen as a recipient.
It means immensely to me because knowing that I have received a national
scholarship to do what I love – study and travel – freshly reminds me that I do
have remarkable opportunities to pursue my goals. I am reminded by the Gilman
foundation that achieving my aspirations is possible, and I am reminded to
never forget to give back to others on the way to reaching all those
goals.”
Another recipient, who received the Gilman for his spring
2013 exchange program with South Korea, had this to say about the award,
“Receiving the Gilman scholarship really does mean everything to me. When I
transferred to UARK, I had no intention of studying abroad at all because I
mistakenly thought that I would never be able to afford it. After finding out
about the Gilman scholarship and its generous awards, I finally saw the
plausibility of going abroad. With growing student loans, rent, and all the
other costs of being a college student, I honestly would not have been able to
consider this extraordinary opportunity at all.”
Since the program’s inception in 2001, over 13,000 bright,
well-deserving American students have received a Gilman Scholarship to study in
more than 130 countries and hail from 1,160 universities across the nation. The
full list of students who have been selected to receive Gilman Scholarships,
including students’ home state, university and country of study, is available
at www.iie.org/gilman.
Applications for spring 2014 Gilman Scholarships will be
available online in August 2013 and due October 1, 2013. Undergraduates receiving a federal Pell grant
who will be studying abroad or participating in an international internship for
academic credit are encouraged to apply.
The Office of Study Abroad at the University of Arkansas is happy to
help discuss this scholarship with any interested students, as well as advise
those searching for the right study abroad opportunity to meet their personal
and academic goals.
