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.
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.
- 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
