Two Murray State students are recipients of the Benjamin A Gilman International Scholarship, which will help fund their trips abroad in the spring to study language and culture in Ireland and Japan.

This scholarship 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. 

 Megan Yocum is a senior communication disorders major studying abroad in Ireland and Tamryn Woolfork is a junior psychology major and Japanese minor,  who is traveling to Japan for a semester

Woolfork said she will study at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan because of her interest in the language and culture. 

“I am also interested in going to graduate school in Japan and eventually doing research and clinical psychology in Japan,” Woolfork said. “At Doshisha, I will only be studying Japanese language, so I hope to be able to achieve a Japanese level closer to fluency while abroad.”

Yocum said she is looking forward to learning more about the cultural perspectives she will see and hear while in Ireland. 

“We will be studying the difference between the Irish English dialect and the Standard American English dialect, but we’ll also be observing and asking questions to speech language pathologists in Ireland,” Yocum said. “With Ireland, they still speak English, but it’s a different dialect, so that is something I can bring back here and apply whenever I’m working in the field.”

Yocum said she applied for this scholarship because of financial reasons. 

“I’ve never really been abroad before, and I knew that it was going to be a big financial job,” Yocum said. “Applying for the scholarship was just to cover the financial basis. That way, I didn’t have to worry about it as much because I really wanted to travel, but I just couldn’t ever find the means to do it.”

Woolfork said she applied for this scholarship because she wanted to find a way to fund her study abroad experience. 

“I applied for the Gilman scholarship because I am a first-generation college student of color from a single-parent, lower-middle-class household,” Woolfork said. 

The application process for the scholarship consists of three essays where students detail why they want to study abroad, explain what being American means to them and the cultural experiences they believe they will have while abroad and write a service project proposal. 

Yocum said she plans to create an informational brochure for the communication disorders department at Murray State, specifically promoting their study abroad programs.

“[The department] really needed something to say there is an opportunity to study abroad here,” Yocum said. “I was going to talk about some of my experiences in Ireland, but then tie it back to how the Gilman kind of made it possible for me.” 

Yocum said she hopes to submit her brochure to the Education Abroad Office once it’s complete. 

Woolfork is taking a different approach to her service project and is partnering with the Office of Multicultural Initiatives to provide students of color resources on studyingabroad and funding their experience.

The Gilman scholarship website said when awarding scholarships, preference goes to first-generation students, racial and ethnic minority students, students with disabilities and veterans.  

Yocum encourages anyone wanting to study abroad to apply for this scholarship. 

“I would definitely say applying for the Gilman Scholarship is a hundred percent worth it,” Yocum said. “Even if you get just a little bit of the scholarship, it helps going towards [the cost], but especially if you’ve excelled in your academic studies, that’s another experience that you can add onto the things that you do learn here at Murray State.”

Woolfork said she is glad she took the chance and applied for this scholarship. 

“For anyone else who may feel the same way, just go for it,” Woolfork said. “It’s true that the worst they can say is no, but there are also so many other scholarships out there as well to help you on your journey.”

The Diverse International Women of Color is offering scholarships for summer 2023, fall 2023 and spring 2024. 

These scholarships are intended for women of color who excel in their academics and are in need of financial assistance. 

To see a full list of scholarships still accepting applications, visit murraystate.edu/studyabroad.