Three students from the University of Mary Washington have received the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad during the spring 2015 academic term.
Brittany Clayborne, Christopher Burgess and Tasherit Sturm Dahal are three of 800 undergraduate students from 356 colleges and universities across the United States selected to receive the scholarship, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Clayborne, a sociology major who also is pursuing minors in both social justice and business administration, will study abroad in South Korea. Burgess, an international affairs major who also is pursuing minors in both linguistics and Middle Eastern studies, will study abroad in China. Dahal, a geography major, will study abroad in Nepal.
Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs. The program, named after Congressman Gilman who retired in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chairing the House of Foreign Relations Committee, aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go.
“Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates,” said Gilman. “Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”
The program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The full list of students who have been selected to receive Gilman Scholarships, including students’ home state, university and host country, is available on their website: www.iie.org/gilman.
“We would love to help more students to achieve these scholarships,” said Jose Sainz, director of UMW’s Center for International Education. “We encourage students to become more educated on the guidelines.”
For more information about the center, visit international.umw.edu/.
