Alumni Ambassador Program

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.

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Gilman Alumni Ambassadors

Abby Donovan

Year: 2019

Home Institution: University of Iowa

Country: Spain

City: Coralville, IA

My experience abroad led me to lifelong friends and memories I will never forget. Gilman can help make it happen for you, too!

Abena Afari

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Grinnell College

Country: Chile

City: Lanham, MD

The opportunity to study abroad as a Gilman Scholar reinforced the idea that I am not bound by circumstance.

Andy Wu

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Lehigh University

Country: Hong Kong

City: Philadelphia, PA

Studying abroad helped me personally and professionally by giving me the opportunity to see how globalized businesses can successfully link the Eastern and Western worlds together.

Arria Hauldin

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Florida State University, Tallahassee

Country: Vietnam

City: Concord, NH

The ability to establish a global presence in a way that is impactful and socially conscious, while representing something bigger than myself, was the focal point of my Gilman Scholarship experience.

Ben Guo

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Fordham University

Country: United Kingdom

City: New York City, NY

[Through the Gilman Scholarship,] I have obtained a broader, more international perspective, which has provided a new layer of responsibility of what it means to be a global citizen as well as an advocate for making studying abroad more accessible to all.

Brandon Penrod

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Loyola University

Country: Brazil

City: Saint Charles, MO

Study abroad, no matter where, opens your heart and mind to unforgettable experiences and people that inevitably shape your future path for the rest of your life. It makes everyday moments of cross-cultural connection feel special. Be brave, take a leap of courage, and explore. Study abroad is for all of us!

Brandon Vanlandingham

Year: 2020

Home Institution: Mississippi State University

Country: New Zealand

City: Starkville, MS

Studying abroad has the capacity to be a life-altering experience. The Gilman Scholarship Program allowed such an opportunity to redefine my perspective on fundamental problems we face as a single worldwide community.

Christina Tran

Year: 2017

Home Institution: University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Country: France

City: Charlotte, NC

The Gilman Scholarship was a catalyst to my career and has helped me cultivate an international viewpoint.

Erika Evatt

Year: 2021

Home Institution: Ohio State University, Columbus

Country: Japan

City: St. Mary, OH

My online experience opened my eyes to the struggles that children experience on a global scale and the necessity to provide a better future for them.

I’yanna Barker

Year: 2016

Home Institution: Florida State University, Tallahassee

Country: Costa Rica

City: Atlanta, GA

While studying abroad allowed me to see the world from a new perspective, it also gave me a spirit of exploration that I will carry with me throughout life.

Jade Fong

Year: 2019

Home Institution: University of California, Berkeley

Country: South Korea

City: San Francisco, CA

When I first arrived in Korea, I attended a Pride Festival that had more protesters present than attendees. Despite the country's discomfort with the LGBT+ community, I was able to find a coterie of queers and engage in important conversations about critical race theory, feminism, and socioeconomic status.

Jonathan Banasihan

Year: 2019

Home Institution: American University

Country: China

City: Torrance, CA

The best way to learn and appreciate a different culture is to immerse yourself in it.

Kashmiere Dotson

Year: 2017

Home Institution: Spelman College

Country: Brazil

City: Castle Rock, CO

The more I study and travel the world around me, the more I learn about myself and my purpose in the world.

Kerry D. Johnson II

Year: 2017

Home Institution: University of Memphis

Country: Costa Rica

City: Southaven, MS

The Gilman Scholarship affirmed the sentiment that representation matters and profoundly impacted my humanity by tethering my education to my ancestral background.

Libby Pollak

Year: 2018

Home Institution: City University of New York, Hunter College

Country: Ghana

City: Brooklyn, NY

Studying abroad made me appreciate the opportunities I have back home, as well as planted my desire to want to help others achieve those same opportunities, despite challenges that may stand in the way.

Lydia Lara

Year: 2017

Home Institution: Augustana College of Illinois

Country: Ecuador

City: South Chicago Heights, IL

The Gilman Scholarship is a galvanizer for students like me, who may never experience studying abroad without financial support. This scholarship changes lives and has positioned me to be a true global citizen in the U.S. and abroad.

Olivia Ellis

Year: 2021

Home Institution: University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Country: Vietnam

City: Charlotte, NC

Participating in a virtual international internship has shown me that we can continue to learn about diverse cultures and build connections with people around the world. I have learned that we are all living similar lives, just in different countries and time zones. In many ways we are connected, and in many ways we are different, but that is the beauty of understanding who we are.

Saliya Ali

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Augustana College, South Dakota

Country: Kenya

City: Sioux Falls, SD

My ideas around diplomacy, cultural exchange, and travel have grown as a result of my experience, and now I feel like a whole new world has opened up for me!

Soren Fuchs

Year: 2017

Home Institution: University of Colorado, Boulder

Country: Hungary

City: Austin, TX

[Studying abroad] opened up a world of opportunities for me - travel competency, professional and personal development, friendships, culture and food!

Steve Anthony Maravillo

Year: 2018

Home Institution: University of California, San Diego

Country: Spain

City: Las Vegas, NV

My year abroad was critical in validating my confidence, shaping my independence, and allowing me to have built a stable sense of resilience and adaptability to change.

Steven Escobar-Mendez

Year: 2020

Home Institution: Lehigh University

Country: Jordan and Nepal

City: Waldorf, MD

It is beautiful to get an education, it is even more beautiful to expand that education to a new horizon. That is what the Gilman [Scholarship] allowed me to achieve.

Thomas McLouth

Year: 2019

Home Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Country: Jordan

City: Birmingham, AL

The Gilman Scholarship provides an opportunity to see the world, leave one's own shell and learn in another's culture, and provides motivation to not only travel more but also work within one's own community to show what's possible!

Zena Jeffers

Year: 2016

Home Institution: North Carolina A&T State University

Country: Cyprus

City: Raleigh, NC

Studying abroad provides students the unique opportunity to widen their worldview, making them better decision-makers and leaders in their communities. The Gilman Scholarship plays a significant role in creating these opportunities for all.

Zhané Bradley

Year: 2021

Home Institution: University of South Carolina, Columbia

Country: Argentina

City: Columbia, SC

Traveling abroad, whether in person or virtually, benefits everyone. When you make a choice to do something different, to see and experience new people and places, you offer yourself and everyone around you a chance to grow.

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