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

Alexis Reed

Year: 2017

Home Institution: University of New Orleans

Country: Alexis Reed

City: New Orleans, Louisiana

I see myself as a change maker to push the needle towards racial justice and equity.

Amanda Cortes

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Georgetown University

Country: Spain

City: New York City, New York

Studying abroad helped me develop the skills to be versatile and flexible in changing environments.

Anisa Rahaman

Year: 2016

Home Institution: American University

Country: Jordan

City: St. Louis, Missouri

Create opportunities for yourself, don't be afraid to network or ask questions, and be comfortable in making mistakes and being culturally different.

Charles Ford III

Year: 2017

Home Institution: Florida State University

Country: Ghana

City: Miami, Florida

International service and learning are key components of being a member of the global community and capture the importance of helping one another.

Elle Smith

Year: 2022

Home Institution: Virginia Tech

Country: Switzerland (virtual)

City: Richmond Virginia

I have disabilities, a single parent, am from a rural area, and have a low socioeconomic status, but I was able to have an international experience thanks to the Gilman Scholarship.

Emerson Johnston

Year: 2021

Home Institution: Northeastern University

Country: Germany (virtual)

City: Boston, Massachusetts

The Gilman Program showed me how important working with people in other countries was to my career and how to network with those communities.

Ishmael Williams

Year: 2018

Home Institution: Howard University

Country: Peru

City: Washington D.C.

As a career counselor, I am helping students better their thoughts, actions, and lives.

Jasmine Whaley

Year: 2012

Home Institution: Elon University

Country: Jordan

City: Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Studying abroad gives you an additional layer of nuance that is crucial for understanding the political dynamics of a country and, by extension, the world.

Kofi Asante Asamoah

Year: 2017

Home Institution: Villanova University

Country: Ghana

City: Boyds, Maryland

I am grateful for the opportunities in which the Gilman Program has provided for me over the past few years, including being able to study public health while engaging in an insightful medical internship in Ghana and being able to meet leaders in various industries through Gilman seminars.

Kyla Denwood

Year: 2021

Home Institution: Tulane University

Country: Global (virtual)

City: Washington D.C.

In pursuing this internship, I also learned to be flexible and open to new opportunities.

Kyle Hetherington

Year: 2021

Home Institution: Pima Community College

Country: Spain (virtual)

City: Tucson, Arizona

The Gilman Program gave me an opportunity to explore a different culture and reaffirmed my love of public service.

Madhat Fares

Year: 2017

Home Institution: Villanova University

Country: United Arab Emirates

City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

By studying abroad, I found that I enjoy learning about people and their traditions while sharing my own.

Marina Shenouda

Year: 2021

Home Institution: University of Houston

Country: Mexico (virtual)

City: Houston, Texas

Studying abroad with Gilman motivated me to learn more about health systems in other countries.

Nathaniel Sandoval

Year: 2021

Home Institution: University of Rhode Island

Country: Spain (virtual)

City: Providence, Rhode Island

The Gilman Program impacted my passions and interests by tapping into a field I've always wanted to operate

Nicole Bettè

Year: 2014

Home Institution: University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Country: Sweden

City: Nashua, New Hampshire

The most memorable and fulfilling experiences don't happen in the classroom; they happen with the friendships you cultivate while abroad.

Nicole Rothenberger

Year: 2018

Home Institution: University of North Dakota

Country: South Korea, 2018

City: Grand Forks, North Dakota

Don't limit yourself to what you are comfortable with because it's harder to grow if you stay complacent.

Nyamal Gatluak

Year: 2021

Home Institution: Iowa State University

Country: South Korea

City: Los Angeles, California

The Gilman Program allowed me to learn more about topics I'm passionate about.

Ryuu Uchiha

Year: 2018

Home Institution: University of Arizona

Country: Japan

City: Peoria, Arizona

While abroad, you can gain new knowledge, look at things from a different perspective, and figure out who you are.

Samantha Raghu

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Gustavus Adolphus College

Country: Thailand

City: Champlin, Minnesota

Gilman provided me with the resources and confidence to prioritize creating pathways of opportunities abroad in my future endeavors.

Scout Osburne

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Oregon State University

Country: Mexico

City: Chicago, Illinois

To study abroad was to see different ways of life: how similar and distinct our cultures and ways of thinking really are.

Silvana Barbosa

Year: 2018

Home Institution: Providence College

Country: Thailand

City: Washington, DC

The Gilman Program helped me affirm my passion for public health and recognize the importance of investing in the environments in which people grow, work, live, and play.

Tracy Evatt

Year: 2021

Home Institution: Wright State University

Country: Costa Rica (Virtual)

City: Dayton, Ohio

Challenging myself is something I always want to strive toward. Gilman has allowed me to gain better communication skills and confidence in the unknown.

Wisaam Haj

Year: 2019

Home Institution: Santa Barbara

Country: France and Italy

City: Santa Barbara, California

Upon my return, I internalized a desire to step beyond the confines of the familiar and work towards becoming a globally minded citizen.

Xandria Akau

Year: 2019

Home Institution: University of Hawaii at Hilo

Country: France

City: Honokaa, Hawaii

I gained a wider perspective by meeting and working with students from all over the world.

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