Scholarships funding summer study abroad opportunities

Three CMU students have been awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to help fund their 2019 summer study aboard programs.

Cara Thomas, an advertising major from Warren, Michigan, received $3,000 to help fund her advertising internship in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Her internship involves working with a local nonprofit organization on fundraising, health education and promotion.

Darius Washington, a psychology major from Chicago, also received $3,000. Washington is attending Chiang Mai University through Aug. 4, studying global health psychology and international organizational behavior.

D’Shyla Hodge, a psychology major from Flint, Michigan, received $2,500 to help fund her four-week program to South Africa as part of ENG/CGL 200: In the Footsteps of Nelson Mandela. The course took Hodge to many cities and provinces in South Africa such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

“The Gilman scholarship is extremely competitive, and it is an honor for our students to be chosen,” said Dianne De Salvo, director of study abroad. “Receiving this funding eases financial stress and allows students to focus on their experience abroad and continue to become globally engaged citizens.”

Created to enable students with limited financial means to study or intern abroad, the Gilman program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Pell Grant recipients qualify to apply for the scholarship.

The program has awarded more than 28,000 scholarships from than 100,000 applications since it began in 2001. This summer, 1,424 scholarships were awarded from 5,500 applications submitted.