Ten NC State Students Receive Gilman Scholarships

Ten NC State students received funding to study or intern abroad during the 2020-21 academic year. The prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship awards each student up to $5,000 and makes study abroad, and its career advantages, more accessible and inclusive for American students.

Since its inception in 2001, the program has sent more than 31,000 Gilman scholars who represent the rich diversity of the United States to 151 countries around the globe. Because the education abroad landscape has changed so much since the students first applied, many of the students are working with the Study Abroad Office to select an appropriate in-person or virtual program for a future term.
Here is a snapshot of how some of the scholarship recipients will be planning to use their awards.

Sean Taylor

Sophomore, Accounting, Poole College of Management
I plan to go to Australia in summer 2021 if I am accepted and allowed to. I am mostly looking forward to finally being able to travel outside of the country as I have never been so far from home.

Catherine Scranton

Senior, Biomedical and Health Sciences Engineering, College of Engineering
My original plan was to study Biomedical Engineering in Melbourne, Australia. In lieu of going this semester, I decided to defer my semester abroad for a year and go in the Fall of 2021. I am most excited about the fact that the opportunity is still available to me. When I heard the news that all programs had been canceled, I was devastated because I thought my one chance at studying abroad was gone and that all the hard work and effort put in was for nothing. Thanks to the Study Abroad Office at NC State and the Gilman Scholarship program I can still fulfill my long time dream of studying abroad, and hopefully still doing it in Australia.

Belen Perez-Fernandez

Senior, Human Biology, College of Sciences
There is, of course, a lot of uncertainty in our world surrounding COVID-19. It is hard to make plans even days in advance, because there is no way of knowing where we will be in regards to the pandemic. I had originally planned on attending Lorence de’ Medici Institute in Rome this Fall 2020. At this moment, I am unsure of my updated plans for study abroad. I have discussed several options with my study abroad advisor. I am currently looking into Spring Break Research in Prague or a program in the Summer of 2021. Regardless of what I decide, I am looking forward to exploring a new place, culture, and traditions. I hope to learn more about myself and others during my future experiences abroad.

Faydra Lackey

Junior, Agricultural Education, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Currently, my plans are to study abroad in a future term. I am planning on working with the Study Abroad Office to select a new program that best fits my interests. No matter where I get the opportunity to go, I am very excited to meet the local people, see their daily routines, and be able to compare our daily lives and habits to theirs.
Sarah Sebastian, a junior majoring in biology, was selected as NC State’s first Gilman-McCain Scholar over the summer.