15 ASU students receive Gilman Scholarship for study abroad

Fifteen ASU students, including six from Barrett, the Honors College, will study around the world this summer with support from the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and provides funding for study abroad programs to undergraduate students of limited financial means who are U.S. citizens. The scholarship helps defray the costs of tuition, room and board, books, transportation, insurance and airfare.

Barrett students who will participate in the 2014 summer program are:

Alex Gale, a biomedical engineering major in the Fulton Schools of Engineering, who received $4,500 to study in China.

Alisa Lee, a biochemistry major on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), who received $2,500 to study in South Korea.

Meredith Heth, an economics major in CLAS , who received $2,500 to study in China.

Sarah Patel, a global health major in CLAS, who received $5,000 to study in India.

Bradley Thompson, an art major in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, who received $2,500 to study in Italy.

Hunter Workman, a biochemistry and global health major in CLAS, who received $5,000 to study in India.

Other ASU students who will participate in the program are:

Julia Hernandez-Barron, a Spanish and secondary education major in CLAS and the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, who received $4,000 to study in the Dominican Republic.

Brandon Garrett, an aerospace engineering major in the Fulton Schools of Engineering, who received $3,000 to study in the United Kingdom.

Valerie Gramiak, an aerospace engineering major in the Fulton Schools of Engineering, who received $2,500 to study in the United Kingdom.

Lissette Guerrero, a biology and society major in CLAS, who received $2,500 to study in the Dominican Republic.

Amanda Manz, a biological sciences and Japanese major in CLAS, who received $3,000 to study in Japan.

Derek Townsend, a German major in CLAS, who received $3,000 to study in Armenia.

Damaurya Seymore, an Italian major in CLAS, who received $3,000 to study in Italy.

Bryanda Silva, a speech and hearing science major in the College of Health Solutions, who received $2,500 to study in Malawi.

Anthony Proano, a political science and philosophy major in CLAS, who received $3,500 to study in Chile.

Named after retired congressman Benjamin A. Gilman from New York, the Gilman Scholarship Program was established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000. Congressman Gilman, who retired in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chairing the House Foreign Relations Committee, commented, "Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community."

The Gilman Scholarship Program is one of many study abroad opportunities for which ASU students can apply. ASU students can study abroad through over 250 programs in more than 60 countries facilitated by the Study Abroad Office.

The Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarship Advisement (LWFONSA), housed at Barrett Honors College, assists students from all ASU campuses to prepare to compete for national and international awards of merit, including the Gilman, Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Fulbright, Truman, Killam and Goldwater scholarships. Since 1991, LWFONSA-directed students have won more than 427 major national awards worth millions of dollars in external funding. In several competitions, ASU ranks among the top schools in the United States.