Students land Gilman awards to study in Asia, Europe

College of Arts and SciencesThree College of Arts and Sciences students received nationally competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awards to study-abroad this fall.

The students are:

  • Evan J. Wilson, a junior majoring in international business and marketing and minoring and Chinese-language, will spend the academic year at Kookmin University in Seoul, South Korea.
  • Michael B. Young, a sophomore majoring in Chinese and Japanese language and culture, will spend the academic year studying in Harbin China through the CET Academic Programs’ Intensive Chinese Language program.
  • Alma J. Zamago, a junior majoring in Japanese, will study during the academic year on an exchange with Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan.

“These exceptional students will greatly enrich their academic experience through these study abroad opportunities,” said Christine Oakley, director of the Global Learning Dept., part of the WSU Office of International Programs. A fourth recipient is majoring in apparel merchandising and textiles.

“When they are in their destination country, the students will be ambassadors of WSU and the United States, and when they return they will share their international experiences with others to increase awareness of study abroad and of the Gilman scholarship,” said April Seehafer, director of the Distinguished Scholarships Program, part of WSU Undergraduate Education. Such “follow-on” service is a Gilman requirement and could include language lessons, cooking demonstrations, or presentations on cultural awareness.

Seehafer, Global Learning advisors, and others throughout the university guide and mentor prospective Gilman Scholars.

These newest Gilman awardees bring the total number of WSU student winners to 64 since 2006. Gilman awards are funded through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Dept. of State. College students must qualify for federal Pell Grant support as one requirement for Gilman eligibility.

For more information, visit https://DistinguishedScholarships.wsu.edu and https://ip.wsu.edu/study-abroad.

 

By Bev Makhani, Office of Undergraduate Education