Four UH Hilo students receive scholarships to study abroad
The Benjamin H. Gilman International Scholarship supports American undergraduate students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad.
The U.S. Department of State has announced four students from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo are part of a cohort of 835 American undergraduate students from 310 colleges and universities across the country selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad during the fall of 2018 or the 2018-2019 academic year.
The Gilman Scholarship supports American undergraduate students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad and, since 2001, has enabled more than 25,000 outstanding Americans of diverse backgrounds to engage in a meaningful educational experience abroad.
UH Hilo recipients
Asia Helfrich, an English major, received $2,500 to study at Uppsala University, Sweden, for the fall 2018 semester.
Mikiala De Mello-Miller, an art major, received a $3,000 award and will study at Josai International University, Japan, for 2018-2019.
Kayla Cook, a gender and women’s studies major, received $3,000 and will study at Virje University, Netherlands, for 2018-2019.
Amy Odaira, a biology major with minors in computer science and Japanese studies, received $2,500 and will study at Uppsala University, Sweden, in fall 2018, and at Doshisha University, Japan, for spring 2019.
The Gilman Scholarship
Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs with additional funding available for the study of a critical language overseas. The program has successfully broadened U.S. participation in study abroad, while emphasizing countries and regions where fewer Americans traditionally study.
The late Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman (1922-2016), for whom the scholarship is named, served in the US House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. When honored with the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2002, he commented:
“Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but 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 Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education.
UH Hilo Center for Global Education and Exchange
To learn more about scholarships for UH Hilo students to study abroad, visit the Center for Global Education and Exchange website.
