Three WMU students receive Gilman Scholarships to study abroad

Hanoks, traditional Korean houses, are a main feature of Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, South Korea.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Three Western Michigan University students are using a prestigious national scholarship to study overseas during the 2017 summer sessions through the Gilman International Scholarship Program.

Justin Black, of Detroit; Devin Moyer, of Constantine; and Marcos Santiago, of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico, are among about 1,000 American undergraduate students to receive the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad.

WMU summer 2017 Scholars

• Justin Black received a $3,500 Gilman Scholarship. Black is majoring in public relations and minoring in journalism and will be studying in South Korea. He chose to go to South Korea for its political and media history as well as its culture and environment.
• Devin Moyer received a $4,000 Gilman Scholarship. Moyer is majoring in recreation management and minoring in Spanish and will be studying in Ecuador. He chose a short program offered in that country that allows him to study abroad and still meet his personal and family commitments.
• Marcos Santiago received a $3,000 Gilman Scholarship. Santiago is double majoring in biochemistry and biomedical sciences and will be studying in England. He chose England because he has been inexplicably interested in that country since childhood and now as a science student, is interested in exploring the advanced scientific programs offered there.

Gilman program

The congressionally funded Gilman program supports study abroad by defraying such costs as tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance, and international airfare. It offers grants to students from across the United States; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. To be eligible, those American citizens must demonstrate high financial need.

The program has been successful in supporting students who are historically underrepresented in education abroad, including first-generation college students, ethnic minority students and students who have disabilities. It also supports students from U.S. states with weak study abroad participation and those studying in science, technology, engineering and mathematics—STEM—fields.

Gilman at WMU

Applying for a Gilman Scholarship is a competitive process that requires some advising. Dr. Michelle Metro-Roland, WMU director of faculty and global program development, serves as the University's advisor for the Gilman International Scholarship Program and most other federal study abroad scholarship programs.

"The Gilman Scholarship is for students who never thought that studying abroad was within their reach," Metro-Roland says.

Those interested in applying for the scholarship must be federal Pell Grant recipients and should make contacting Metro-Roland their first step. She can be reached at michelle.metro-roland@wmich.edu.

For more information about how the Gilman International Scholarship can be a bridge to the world, visit wmich.edu/studyabroad/gilman. To learn about WMU's study abroad programs and services, visit wmich.edu/studyabroad or call (269) 387-5890.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.