Story by Claire Smith, Contributing writer
Photo courtesy of Michael Greene
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship helps students who receive Pell Grants study abroad.
The scholarship, established in 2001, is run by the Institute of International Education. The program is also part of the U.S. Department of State.
Michael Greene, senior from Cadiz, Kentucky, is a Computer Science and Nonprofit double major with a minor in Spanish. He was awarded the scholarship for the spring 2019 semester and was one of 844 undergraduate recipients from across the U.S.
In order to apply for the scholarship Greene had to submit an application and an essay.
The Gilman Scholarship and studying abroad will give Greene the opportunity to network as well as visit Chile, the location of the program.
Greene is an army veteran, having retired in July of 2016, and is focusing on his career in school. During his time in the army, he spent over 72 months deployed after Sept. 11. He also traveled to the United Arab Emirates, Jordan in Western Asia, Germany and Spain.
Greene said his time in the army helped him prepare for his trip to Chile because it exposed him to traveling.
After he has completed his time abroad, Greene will have to submit a project as part of the program.
Robyn Pizzo, education abroad advisor, said about five to 10 students apply for this scholarship.
“Of those, we have a fairly high success rate of students being awarded the scholarship,” Pizzo said. “Since it is a national external scholarship, it is a competitive process against other students from all over the country.”
Pizzo works with students to make their essays for the scholarship “as competitive as possible.”
“Michael was a highly-motivated student and we were happy to provide him with lots of support through the application process for his study abroad program in Chile and his scholarship applications,” Pizzo said.
If a student is looking to study abroad it is best to begin planning 6 months in advance because each program has its own deadline.
Students can study abroad in the spring, summer, fall or for a full academic year. Applications for summer 2019 and the 2019-20 school year are still open.