Three students receive Gilman Scholarships to study abroad
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Three Western Michigan University students are using a prestigious national scholarship to study overseas during the University's 2018 spring semester, or longer, through the Gilman International Scholarship Program.
Katelyn Drummond of Dorr, Kirsten Stowell of Mattawan and Nicholas Talamantez of Kalkaska are among about 1,000 American undergraduate students to receive the Gilman Scholarship to study abroad.
Newest Gilman Scholars
Because mountains obstruct inland expansion, Cape Town has developed along the coast.
Drummond received a $4,500 Gilman Scholarship. Drummond is a junior majoring in global and international studies: tourism and travel. She will be studying in Cape Town, South Africa, during the spring semester. She was drawn to Cape Town by the opportunity to be surrounded by beautiful landscapes while studying the country's fascinating history at the University of Cape Town.
Stowell received a $950 Gilman Scholarship. She is a senior majoring in mathematics as well as in English secondary education and will be studying in Auckland, New Zealand, for the spring semester. Stowell chose this study abroad program because she always wanted to visit New Zealand and it will allow her to complete her teaching internship in a different educational system while still graduating on time.
Talamantez received a $950 Gilman Scholarship. He is a sophomore majoring in film, video and media studies who is minoring in Spanish. He will be studying in Granada, Spain, for five and one-half months starting with the spring semester. Talamantez chose this study abroad program because it covers such topics as political and media history as well as culture and the environment. In addition, he wanted to spend more than a semester abroad to bond and meet people from around the world.
About the 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, are from U.S. states with weak study abroad participation, and are 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.
