Featured Scholarship Recipients
Each year WWU students are awarded various scholarships to participate in education abroad. Here we have highlighted some of our recent recipients of the U.S. Department of State's Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. The following WWU students were among those awarded for study abroad/virtual global programs with a start date in 2021. WWU nominated ten recipients for the Gilman Scholarship totaling $36,000 in scholarship awards!
Kendrick Jackson
Sociology and Human Services
Career Goals and Aspirations: Social or non-profit work
Study Abroad Program: CIEE Arts + Sciences in Cape Town, South Africa, Fall 2021
"This opportunity of studying abroad is something that I didn't see coming for me, as a student of multiple marginalized identities. While abroad, I hope to make a positive impact in the community, to continue to invest in my education through adding diverse experiences to it, and to fully experience my trip that I am incredibly grateful to be taking apart of."
Citlalli Ocampo Bernal
Psychology Major with a Minor in Anthropology
Career Goals: I hope to be a clinical psychologist, with a focus on PTSD and trauma. One of my future goals is to start programs for underrepresented groups and minorities based around mental health so they can have resources that aren't often attainable.
Study Abroad Program: KCP International Japanese Language School in Tokyo, Japan, Spring 2021
"My parents' nationality and ethnicity gave me the opportunity to be bilingual and learn about my Hispanic Heritage. They always encouraged me to travel since they are not able to and having this opportunity to study abroad is very meaningful and exciting. Along with going to a country I've always admired, being able to learn a third language will be an amazing opportunity I'm looking forward to."
Sara Atack
Sociology; Spanish, and Law, Diversity & Justice
Career Goals: To be a civil rights attorney for a non-profit organization to help represent those who can't afford representation on their own. I want to help fight injustices all around the country.
Study Abroad Program: CIEE Spanish Intensive Program in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Spring 2021
"This program will allow me to be fully emerged into Latin American culture and help me become fluent in Spanish, which I want to learn so I can reach and help more people in my future career. Being fluent in Spanish and living in Argentina for 8 weeks will give me a greater understanding of the world around me and aid me in my ambitions."
Jennifer Scott
International Business, Political Science, and Communications
Career Goals: I hope to be able to work with policies, whether business or government or something between. I enjoy reading documents to find the small details, the little differences that can be found in important documents.
Study Abroad Program: My program is a virtual attendance during the condensed summer quarter (winter for Australia). Part of what I'm doing is participating in a virtual internship with Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia. I am also taking a marketing class that is necessary for my major.
"Study abroad is the chance to not only expand upon what I have been taught so far but to also learn more about the world outside of America."
Isabella Colbert
Environmental Science
Career Goals: I am exploring different career options but I am interested in working in either water quality or forest fire management.
Study Abroad Program: CEA Spanish Language, Liberal Arts, and Environmental Science Program in San Jose, Costa Rica, Summer 2021
"Studying abroad means pushing myself out of my comfort zone to gain a global perspective and insight into the bio-cultural diversity of Costa Rica."
AdriAnna Rodriguez
Linguistics and Japanese
Career Goals: Professor/Author
Study Abroad Program: Tsuda University in Tokyo, Japan, Spring 2021
"I'm excited to get a chance to view the world through another lens."
Shadia Amir
Philosophy, Education and Social Justice
Career Goals: Work in the field of education doing policy work or community/youth engagement work.
Study Abroad Program: USAC Southeast Asia Culture, Politics, and Business in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Spring 2021
"Studying abroad will provide me with the perfect opportunity to enrich and diversify my education while also strengthening my understanding of self and the greater world around me!"
Reuben Martinez
Economics
Career Goals: Learning enough about energy economics, and in particular alternative energy, to be able to help Indigenous tribes in Washington to gain energy sovereignty.
Study Abroad Program: Japan
"Very few Indigenous tribal members have a higher education degree, and even fewer have had the opportunity to study abroad. Something that I will always promote is going, and experiencing different people and cultures. It helps us expand our imaginations and to push the limits of what could be possible."
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
"The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness.
The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide."
Since its inception in 2001, over 100,000 applications have been received and over 31,000 scholarships have been awarded to students participating in study abroad programs and internships around the world, including virtual global programs.
WWU Education Abroad in collaboration with other departments and advocates on campus have championed efforts to increase awareness and access to significant national, local, and institutional scholarship opportunities for WWU students. For more information on scholarship opportunities, see our Scholarships webpage.