OU Students Awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships

We are pleased to announce that three OU students have been awarded the US Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for the 2018 fall semester. The Gilman, which has been awarded by the Institute of International Education since 2001, is a grant program that funds study or internship abroad for students with financial constraints. Students on the program are encouraged to study languages — particularly those in critical need — and military veterans are given preference.

The goal of the scholarship is to broaden the population of students studying abroad in a wide range of countries throughout the world. As the website states, “The program has been successful in supporting students who have been historically underrepresented in education abroad, including but not limited to first-generation college students, students in STEM fields, ethnic minority students, students with disabilities . . . and students coming from US states with less study abroad participation.” Studies have shown that Gilman scholars tend to remain internationally engaged, with 84% maintaining relationships with people from the country in which they studied, and 87% expressing more interest in international topics.

This year’s recipients from OU are Kayla Jackson, who is completing the College of Arts & Sciences – Chemistry STEAM semester at OU in Arezzo, Italy; Guadalupe Gonzalez, who is studying at OU in Puebla, Mexico; and Ricardo Medina, who will study through university exchange at Pontifical Catholic University in Lima, Peru. The College of International Studies is extremely proud of these hardworking students, and we wish them the best on their study abroad journeys!

The Gilman International Scholarship is open to any undergraduate receiving Federal Pell Grant funding. To apply for spring and summer 2019, please visit https://www.gilmanscholarship.org.