UW Students Receive Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad

Eleven University of Wyoming students have been awarded scholarships by the U.S. Department of State to study abroad this summer and the upcoming fall semester.

Of the complete applications submitted by UW students for this highly competitive award, 58 percent were selected.

The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs awards undergraduate students the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship each year on a competitive basis. On average, 70 percent of Gilman recipients self-identify as racial or ethnic minorities; 60 percent are from rural America; and half are first-generation college or university students.

Shelley Jewell, director of UW Education Abroad, serves as a national Gilman Advisor Ambassador. She works to promote and advise students who are interested in applying for this prestigious scholarship.

“The Gilman Scholarship Program opens doors to a world of opportunities for our UW students who may not have the means to study abroad otherwise,” Jewell says. “Receiving these scholarships is a testament to our students’ dedication and potential to achieve. We are thrilled to have 11 recipients this round, and we know the opportunities abroad that await them have the potential to transform their lives, broaden their horizons and create a foundation for global citizenship.”

Jewell teams up with Dianne Thompson, UW Education Abroad’s prestigious scholarship adviser, to support Gilman applicants before, during and after the study-abroad programs. They spend hours advising students and reviewing essays to ensure that applicants have strong and complete applications to submit.

“Having 11 students selected to receive the Gilman Scholarship is a real feather in our cap for the University of Wyoming. This is a very competitive process in which UW students compete with peers from all around the country,” says Isadora Helfgott, UW vice provost for global engagement. “To be selected, they have to articulate why they want to study abroad and how the experience will enhance their Laramie-based education. The commitment of each of these Gilman Scholarship recipients shone through every one of their essays. I can’t wait to hear their reflections on all they’ve learned after they’ve been abroad.”

UW recipients, listed by hometown, are:

Big Piney -- Autumn Wright, a junior majoring in psychology with a minor in disability studies, will complete the UW faculty-led program “Healthy Aging in Italy” this summer. The course is led by UW-Casper faculty members Maria Kuznetsova, in the Department of Psychology, and Greta Maxfield, in the Division of Social Work.

Casper -- Carissa Bjorklund, a senior majoring in criminal justice, will complete the UW faculty-led program “Healthy Aging in Italy” this summer, led by UW-Casper faculty members Kuznetsova and Maxfield.

Cheyenne -- Lisa McBride, a junior majoring in psychology, will complete a semester-long exchange at Ulster University in Northern Ireland.

Cheyenne -- Alexa Rizzuto, a senior majoring in history, will participate this summer in the faculty-led program “Environmental Aesthetics in Italy,” led by Jeff Lockwood, a professor in the UW Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Cheyenne -- Jacob Westover, a senior majoring in psychology, will participate in a semester-long, faculty-led program in Rome. This program is led by Conxita Domenech, a professor in the UW Department of Modern and Classical Languages.

Laramie -- Joseph Brasher, a junior majoring in Spanish with a minor in music, will complete intensive Spanish language studies in Buenos Aires this summer, studying in Argentina for nearly three months.

Laramie -- Ireland Earl, a junior majoring in communication with a minor in honors, will complete the “Semester at Sea” program this fall. The program includes classroom time on a boat and docking at several countries throughout the semester, including France, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam.

Laramie -- Lynnea Taylor, a junior majoring in finance, will participate in a semester-long program in Rome led by Domenech.

Pinedale -- Michael Vitanza, a senior majoring in music with a minor in German, will complete the summer faculty-led program “Classical Music in Brazil” under the leadership of Theresa Bogard, a professor in the UW Department of Music. The group will spend three weeks in Goiania, Brazil, studying and playing classical music.

Rochester, Minn. -- Carter Matson, who is double majoring in secondary education and history with a minor in French, will complete the UW faculty-led program “Nazi Germany and the Holocaust” this summer. The course is led by Adam Blackler, an associate professor in the UW Department of History. The group will travel to Germany and Poland.

Rock Springs -- Dylan Chatterley, a sophomore majoring in psychology with a minor in honors, will complete the UW faculty-led program “The Art and History of Medicine” this summer. The course is led by Brian Cherrington, an associate professor, and Michael Dillon, a professor, both in the UW Department of Zoology and Physiology. The program will take place in Austria, Belgium, England and Scotland.

All UW Gilman Scholarship recipients are supported by the UW Global Engagement Office and UW Education Abroad.