Alumni Ambassador Program
The Gilman Alumni Ambassador Program is a diverse group of Gilman Scholarship recipients who have studied or interned abroad.
Gilman Alumni Ambassadors serve as official representatives of the U.S. Department of State’s Gilman International Scholarship Program. They provide testimonials about their Gilman Scholarship experiences at campus presentations and offer application tips via written articles, videos, webinars, and special events. The Gilman Alumni Ambassadors have been trained by the Gilman Scholarship Program.
***2024 Gilman Alumni Ambassador profiles coming soon***
2023 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
William Blakey
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of Washington-Tacoma Campus
Country: Peru
City: Des Moines, Iowa
My perspective has changed towards realizing how impactful one person can be with a certain mindset and awareness of the needs of others around them. I have been able to transition my ambitions in a way that will benefit others instead of just focusing on my own success.
Alicia Maynard Briones
Year: 2022
Home Institution: Arizona State University
Country: South Korea
City: Parker, Arizona
I see everything as a learning experience. There is always something you can learn. I now take as many opportunities that come my way and
engage in as much learning as I can.
Edwin Pineda Catalan
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of California - Santa Barbara
Country: Denmark
City: Los Angeles, California
Being away from home also made me appreciate my home country and culture. Experiencing a different way of life abroad made me realize the unique aspects of my hometown that I took for granted. It gave me a deeper sense of belonging and pride when I came home.
Kamundala Crispe
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of Maine
Country: France
City: Auburn, Maine
My study abroad experience broadened my horizons by exposing me to different educational approaches. The experience of navigating daily life in a foreign environment also cultivated my problem-solving skills and adaptability. I learned to overcome language barriers and adapt to new situations, fostering a greater sense of self-reliance and confidence.
Cornelius Finley
Year: 2007
Home Institution: Morehouse College
Country: United Kingdom
City: Dallas, Texas
Chloe Hamby
Year: 2017
Home Institution: University of Georgia
Country: Italy
City: Atlanta, Georgia
Studying abroad showed me there is an entirely different world out there for me to experience and I haven’t stopped wanting to find those new experiences since.
Chelsea Hanway
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Country: Ireland
City: Bellevue, Nebraska
My Gilman Program experience influenced what I do now by showing me that there is so much that can be done peacefully in order to avoid wars and other smaller conflicts. The experience also taught me many reconciliation methods that I can use to help my community (the Indigenous community) heal from our own traumas.
Daniel Kang
Year: 2021
Home Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Country: South Korea
City: Arlington, Virginia
Sydney Kokinis
Year: 2022
Home Institution: Indiana University - Bloomington
Country: South Korea
City: Fremont, Indiana
Studying abroad is not a “one-and-done” experience and continues to shape you! My time abroad not only opened opportunities for my academic and career paths, but aided in building the foundation of who I am today.
Noah Leonard
Year: 2022
Home Institution: College of Wooster
Country: Argentina
City: Takoma Park, Maryland
The Gilman Program helped me explore new academic and personal interests by giving me the opportunity to go on my dream study abroad program! Studying topics like the intersection of social and economic movements, and economic development more broadly, from a different global perspective was a paradigm shifting experience.
Ndaya Cynthia Malambi
Year: 2018
Home Institution: University of Rhode Island
Country: France
City: Providence, Rhode Island
One of the most important takeaways I had from my study abroad experience is that the world is small. We have more in common than we think and when people see that you are interested in their culture, they become more interested in yours.
Christopher Mulcahy
Year: 2021
Home Institution: University of Maryland - College Park
Country: Israel (Virtual)
City: Rockville, Maryland
The Gilman Program positively influenced my academics and career. During my Gilman Program experience, I learned how to collaborate with students and faculty from different cultural backgrounds, regions, and time zones across the world.
Darlene Nawuridam
Year: 2023
Home Institution: Spelman College
Country: Spain
City: Princeton, New Jersey
Studying abroad made me more aware of my culture and upbringing. My experience allowed me to identify with people from different backgrounds and, even though I had to adapt to a new culture, it allowed me to view my culture from a different perspective.
Sophia Norha
Year: 2022
Home Institution: Macalester College
Country: Netherlands
City: Virginia, MN
My Gilman Program experience allowed me to travel to Brussels, Belgium with the Gilman Brussels Study Tour, where my interest in international law and diplomacy was strengthened. I am more interested in international law now than ever!
Vital Nyabashi
Year: 2022
Home Institution: Iowa State University
Country: Kenya
City: Des Moines, Iowa
Studying abroad is something everyone needs to experience. Put your fears to the side and take a chance.
Philip Okonkwo
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of South Florida
Country: Italy
City: Tallahassee, Florida
Mónica Pizano
Year: 2018
Home Institution: University of North Georgia
Country: Spain
City: Rockingham, Virginia
My Gilman Program experience has been a defining journey that not only facilitated my personal and professional growth but also ignited a deep passion for promoting educational opportunities for underrepresented communities.
Maurice Mayer Riingen
Year: 2022
Home Institution: Grand Canyon University
Country: Spain
City: Keaau, Hawaii
The Gilman Program has influenced me to encourage other prospective college students to study abroad. I believe that everyone has the right to an international education and to learn from different cultures other than their own.
Metzin Rodriguez
Year: 2021
Home Institution: Oregon State University
Country: South Korea
City: Coos Bay, Oregon
My Gilman Program experience influenced what I do now because, thanks to their array of opportunities and information, I learned about the possibility of studying abroad. Thanks to Gilman Program seminars on different topics, I met other scholars and alumni whose careers and stories inspired my own innovative and creative ideas.
Ramatou Sanogo
Year: 2022
Home Institution: Mount Holyoke College
Country: South Korea
City: New York, New York
Studying abroad broadened my outlook on the world and granted me with so many more perspectives. As an American living in the U.S, I was always on the more comfortable and confident side of the language spectrum. Going to Korea, I experienced the opposite as I tried to communicate in Korean. This deepened my understanding and helped me better understand the realities for those who are living in countries where their first languages are not spoken.
Isaiah Sattlefield
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Country: Australia
City: Papillion, Nebraska
The Gilman Program allowed me to study the changing climate in coastal ecosystems, which has inspired me to continue learning about this subject in a M.S. Graduate Assistantship in Environmental Toxicology at the University of South Alabama.
Valery Tabraj-Huaccachi
Year: 2023
Home Institution: University of Maryland-College Park
Country: Cuba
City: Silver Spring, Maryland
The Gilman Program had a huge impact on me through its international relations workshops, foster my interests. This Gilman Program allowed me to study in Cuba, which not many get to go to due to restrained relationships. Studying abroad perked my interest in seeking more opportunities abroad and made me eager to learn about other cultures and cultures.
Geraldine Uribe
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of Connecticut
Country: United Kingdom
City: Stamford, Connecticut
Madison Watts
Year: 2022
Home Institution: University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Country: Kyrgyzstan
City: Sweetwater, Tennessee
My Gilman Program experience reinforced my belief that studying foreign languages is incredibly important to building mutual understanding
across the world.
Hunter Wicklund
Year: 2023
Home Institution: University of Miami
Country: Ecuador
City: Miami, Florida
My Gilman Program experience reinforced my interest in the wider world and inspired me with the desire to work abroad to explore new places and cultures. Through the Gilman Program I was able to explore my passion for marine science, and compare the Pacific Ocean, which I had never laid eyes on before, to my home along the Atlantic Ocean.
- 2022 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2021 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2020 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2019 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2018 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2017 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2016 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2015 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2014 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2013 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2012 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2010 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors
- 2009 Gilman Alumni Ambassadors