The Gilman & Our Experiences Abroad
Yesenia A. Hernandez & K. Jeannene Clark
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
Purpose: A Scholarship Program that offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students to pursue
academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad. This program is a congressionally
funded and sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
Eligibility: The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to support students who have been traditionally
under-represented in education abroad, including but not limited to:
● Students with high financial need
● Community college students
● Students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering
● Students with diverse ethnic backgrounds
● Students with disabilities
Program Eligibility
1.
The applicant must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant or provide proof that he/she will be receiving a Pell Grant at
the time of application or during the term of his/her study abroad program or internship.
2.
The applicant is applying to or has been accepted into a study abroad program or internship eligible for
credit by the student's accredited institution of higher education in the U.S.
3.
The applicant is studying or interning abroad for at least four weeks (28 days) in one country -and no more
than one academic year. Programs going to more than one country are eligible if the student will be in
one country for at least four consecutive weeks.
4.
The applicant is studying or interning abroad in any country except those on the U.S. Department of State's
current Travel Warning list.
Award Benefits
What Does it Cover?
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
● International airfare
Gilman awards 2,700 scholarships of up to $5,000
●
Award amounts will vary depending on the length
of study and student need with the average award
being approximately $4,000 for fall and spring
programs, and $3,000 for summer programs.
●
60 Critical Need Language Awards for a total
award of $8,000 will be awarded.
The Application Process
●
Fill out the online application - you can
check your completion status on the
website
●
Write your essays - get this done as early as
possible! These are your Statement of
Purpose essay and Follow-on Service
Project Proposal
●
Think about your follow-on service project
in depth before you submit your
paperwork
●
Meet with your Financial Aid Counselor
●
Meet with the Department of Off-Campus
Studies
●
Pace yourself - don’t do it all last minute!
Tips
●
Meet with Laura Farmer to discuss and
proofread your essays!!
●
Talk with your academic advisor(s)
●
Meet with financial aid
●
Read the tips on the Gilman website
●
Double-check everything
●
Pay attention to deadlines
●
Request your transcripts early
●
Attend Webinars
●
Ask for help if you need it
●
Relax!
A Comparative Study in Human Rights: NYC-Chile-Jordan-Nepal
Yesenia A. Hernandez
4 Countries
4 Months
4 Amazing Host Families
Experiential Learning: Language,
Transportation, and Families.
Chile
1. Pinochet Dictatorship- Torture Camps
Disappeared People
2. Chilean Student Movement
3. Mapuche Struggle
Jordan
1. Za’atri Refugee Camps
2. Middle Eastern Politics
a. Meeting with Syrian, Palestinian,
Iraqi refugees. and Jordanian
students
Nepal
1. Indigenous Rights
2. Post Insurgency Transformation Restructuring of Nepal after a Civil War
k
ACM Jordan: Arabic Language and Middle Eastern Culture Studies
Kayla Jeannene Clark
Classes
Arabic Language: Jordanian Colloquial I and
Modern Standard I
Food and Culture: A Study of Kushari
Independent Study: Cost of Living in Amman
Life Abroad
A very wonderful host family
Amazing friends
Exploring Amman - coffee shops!