CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Ten University of Illinois undergraduates have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to study abroad. Illinois had the most recipients in the Big Ten and is among the top 10 schools in the nation in terms of number of recipients.
Nine students are studying abroad this semester; one will do so in the summer.
The nationally competitive Gilman Scholarship application process is coordinated cooperatively at Illinois, with the Office of Student Financial Aid and various campus study abroad offices advertising the scholarship and the National and International Scholarships Program offering reviews of student materials and feedback to Illinois applicants.
“Illinois is extremely proud of our hard-working undergraduates who make the extra effort to study abroad, especially those from the economically disadvantaged populations the Gilman Scholarship serves,” said David Schug, director of the National and International Scholarships Program.
U. of I. recipients, their programs and destinations include (EDITORS: See list).
The U. of I. recipients are among the 900 U.S. undergraduates awarded scholarships from a pool of 2,700. To be eligible for the award, students must demonstrate financial need by receiving a federal Pell Grant for their current studies. Scholars generally receive $2,500-$5,000 to apply toward their study abroad program.
The Gilman Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and their destinations. Over the past decade, Gilman recipients have studied in 116 nations. Applications for summer or fall 2012 Gilman study abroad scholarships are due by March 1.
The Gilman Scholarship program honors U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, of New York, a former chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee who retired in 2002 after serving 30 years in the House of Representatives.
GILMAN SCHOLARS
BROOKFIELD – Patrick Deweese, junior in global studies, CIEE Amman, Jordan – language and culture, spring 2012
BUFFALO GROVE – Emily Kalusetsky, junior in integrative biology, Spanish studies in Granada, Spain, spring 2012
CHICAGO 60616 – Christian Choy, sophomore in chemistry, IES Tokyo, Japan – Japanese language and society, spring 2012; Kevin Ng, junior in community health, Arcadia Sydney, Australia – internship, summer 2012
CHICAGO 60629 – Daniel Amador, sophomore in global studies, internships in Francophone Europe, Paris, spring 2012
DES PLAINES -Erick Garcia, sophomore in agricultural and consumer economics, Verona Studies Program, Italy, spring 2012
STREATOR – R. Cody Chalkey, junior in business administration, University of Hong Kong exchange program, spring 2012
SWANSEA – Victoria Ling, junior in East Asian languages and cultures, IES Tokyo, Japan – Japanese language and society, spring 2012
WONDER LAKE – Justin Drawz, junior in bioengineering, engineering in Munich at Technische Universitat Munchen, spring 2012
