Four Ohio State students have been awarded the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for spring 2024.

Spring 2024 Recipients

• Caroline Shinn, senior, major in sustainable plant systems and minor in studio art
  The School for Field Studies (SFS) Australia - Rainforest to Reef, Spring 2024
  • "I will be going to Northern Queensland, Australia. Receiving a Gilman scholarship will enable me to study tropical ecology which is an area of immense interest for me. I initially became interested in tropical houseplants during the pandemic. Plants became fascinating to me, so I decided to pursue the study of them. Last spring, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica where I could see these plants in their native environments.
    
    The gateway from studying plants can be easily made into the animal/insect species that interact with them and thus ecosystems as a whole. I hope to gain insight into academic research and whether it is something I want to pursue. One of my goals is to travel internationally for a living. Gaining experience through studying abroad is very exciting."
    
    
• Savannah Bailey, sophomore, major in air transportation
  International Perspectives on Aviation, Spring Break 2024
  
  
• Michelle Alaniz, senior, major in information systems and minor in Korean
  Ewha Womans University, Spring 2024
  
  
• Kelly Yan, senior, major in computer science and engineering
  Education Abroad Network: Korea University, Spring 2024
  • "As an Asian American who didn't care much for my culture as a child, it's been a goal of mine for the past few years to reconnect more with Asian culture and learn as much as I can. I'm not studying in China, but I'm very excited for the opportunity that the Gilman scholarship has given me to study Korean culture in Seoul this spring!"  

The scholarship is awarded twice annually, with deadlines every March and October. Students interested in applying for the upcoming cycle (for programs occurring summer and autumn 2024, academic year 2024-2025 and spring 2025) are encouraged to learn more and apply by March 7, 2024. 

About the scholarship

The Gilman Scholarship contributes to the U.S. Department of State’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts to engage the American people in foreign policy while improving access for underserved students. Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 38,000 Gilman Scholars from throughout the nation have studied or interned in more than 160 countries around the globe. To learn more about the Gilman scholarship and its recipients, visit their website.

Pictured from left: Caroline Shinn, Kelly Yan, Michelle Alaniz, Savannah Bailey