Local student awarded Gilman Scholarship for study abroad

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State recently announced their Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship winners for summer 2015. Six Lamar University students have been selected to participate in study abroad internships and research through the scholarship funding. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study or intern abroad costs. These costs include program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.

Those selected to spend four weeks in Taiwan and China are Nicole Kyles-Burton, Celeste Fisher, and Toryria Munson, Beaumont; Nathanial Henry, Winnie and April Henderson, Orange. Walter White, Beaumont, will spend eight weeks studying Japanese in Beppu, Japan, Beaumont’s designated sister-city.

“The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs is the same agency that administers the Fulbright Scholarship program, one of the most prestigious scholarships a student can earn,” said Jeff Palis, Lamar University director for the study abroad program. “The Gilman Scholarship is specifically geared toward study abroad opportunities for undergraduate students with financial need.”

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad. Such international exchange is intended to better prepare students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. The Gilman Scholarship Program broadens the student population that studies and interns abroad by supporting undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints.