Fifteen undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have earned the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to support credit-bearing study abroad, internship abroad or virtual international opportunities between spring 2021 and Dec. 31, 2021.
- Kadeja Al Kanass, junior, psychology, political science and international business, Jordan
- Emily Barajas, sophomore, psychology, France
- Carissa Bohaty, junior, microbiology, Spain
- Kia Brodersen, senior, global studies and political science, Chile
- Emily Degraff, junior, English and philosophy, France
- Sara Hasan, senior, English and psychology, United Kingdom
- Alex Henkel, senior, psychology and sociology, Spain
- Brenda Heracleo-Flores, sophomore, psychology and Spanish, Peru
- Jessica Long, senior, global studies and geography, United Kingdom
- Sonoor Majid, senior, biochemistry and chemistry, Turkey
- Riham Mohammed, junior, global studies, Morocco
- Emily Olsen, senior, global studies, Jordan
- Izchel Quintero, senior, Spanish, English and global studies, United Kingdom
- Libby Shonka Smith, junior, psychology, Spain
- Ayla Volante, senior, anthropology, Spain
The Gilman is a nationally competitive scholarship awarded twice a year by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. Students may apply several months in advance of their program, allowing them to finalize their education abroad plans with the reassurance of funding. Between the October 2019 and March 2020 cycles, 47 Nebraska students were awarded, surpassing Nebraska’s previous record of 34 recipients in 2017-18.
The Gilman scholarship supports underrepresented undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints, and aims to encourage students to study and intern in a diverse array of countries and to study languages — especially critical need languages. According to the Gilman program, more than 7,000 applicants were reviewed for the March 2020 cycle, and more than 2,500 students were offered awards.
Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward program costs and may receive up to an additional $3,000 to study a critical language. One Nebraska awardee, Kadeja Alkanass, received the additional funding to study Arabic in Jordan.
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Gilman program is allowing recipients to use their scholarships to pursue online courses or virtual intensive language programs at an institution based outside of the United States, virtual faculty-led study abroad programs or virtual international internships. Nebraska’s Education Abroad Office is now supporting Virtual International Programs as an alternative for global learning.
