Students Receive Prestigious Study Abroad Scholarship

Five San Diego State University undergraduate students were awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship and will use the funds to study abroad this fall

The students will travel to destinations in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East.

“We are pleased to see the continued success of our students in receiving Gilman scholarships,” said Dave Rudel, assistant director of education abroad for SDSU's International Student Center.
 
One student, business administration major Elvira Hobusch (’14), will use her award to attend SDSU’s exchange program at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

The four other student awardees will study abroad during the fall semester at other SDSU exchange partner institutions:

• International business major Feriha Ahmed (’14) will study at  Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil
• Computer science major Osama Alkhawaja (’15) will attend Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
• International economics major Christine Lavarias (’14) will travel to University of Mannheim in Germany
• International business major Victoria Murrieta (’15) will study abroad at Bahçesehir University in Istanbul, Turkey. Murrieta also received a scholarship from the Turkish Coalition of America to further support her studies.

Impacting the community

All recipients must complete a follow-up service project upon their return to campus as a requirement of their award.  Awardees often conduct presentations to student organizations, volunteer at outreach events and create blogs or videos about their experiences abroad.

“We greatly value the contributions of Gilman awardees both while they are overseas and when they return,” said Ryan McLemore, education abroad advisor in the International Student Center.  “They encourage more students to seek out international opportunities and emphasize studying abroad is affordable and feasible.”

Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward study abroad program costs.  The program aims to diversify the students who study abroad and the countries and regions they go.  All students who receive a federal Pell Grant and study abroad or participate in an international internship for academic credit are eligible to apply.

Global citizens

About 850 undergraduate students from 324 colleges and universities across the country were selected to receive the prestigious awards, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education.  

Students gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages and economies, which prepares them for leadership roles within government and the private sector.

“International education is one of the best tools for developing mutual understanding and building connections between people from different countries," said Allan Goodman, president and CEO of the Institute of International Education.

"It is critical to the success of American diplomacy and business, and the lasting ties that Americans make during their international studies are important to our country in times of conflict as well as times of peace.”