Three DePauw Seniors Awarded Gilman International Scholarships

July 23, 2016

Three rising seniors at DePauw University -- Taquesha Dean, Jazzika Jones and Kelli Peterson -- have been selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad during the upcoming academic year. Dean will travel to South Africa, Jones will go to South Korea, and Peterson's award will take her to Ireland.

They are among more than 850 American undergraduate students from 324 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected to receive Gilman International Scholarships, which are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs.

The program aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant from two- and four-year institutions who will be studying abroad or participating in a career-oriented international internship for academic credit are eligible to apply. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages, and economies -- making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector.

Congressman Gilman, who retired in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chairing the House Foreign Relations Committee, notees, "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 program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The full list of students who have been selected to receive Gilman Scholarships, including students’ home state, university and host country, is available here.

The 2015 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange finds that DePauw University is ranked #4 among the nation's four-year baccalaureate colleges for the number of students studying abroad during the 2013-14 academic year, up one spot from last year, and is third in the number of students participating in short term study abroad experiences.