Seventeen students from Skyline College, Cañada College, and College of San Mateo were awarded a total of $33,000 from the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad. The program is committed to reshaping study abroad to make it more accessible and inclusive for students who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise participate. Its goal is to increase opportunities to live and learn abroad while building mutual intercultural understanding between students and their host communities.
For this last application cycle (Cycle 1), 30 SMCCCD students applied, and 17 students were awarded the scholarship—an award rate of 57%. The list of all colleges and universities awarded the Gilman Scholarship is listed on the Gilman Scholarship website. Cycle 2 will open in mid-January 2020 for applicants whose programs start from May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. This cycle encompasses Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Academic Year 2020-2021, and Spring 2021 programs.
Students were alerted of this scholarship opportunity by the SMCCCD Study Abroad Office. Director of Special International Programs, Zaid Ghori, and Study Abroad Program Services Coordinator, Stephanie Wells, worked to promote this scholarship opportunity and to assist interested students with the application process. We would like to thank the Skyline College Financial Aid office—Jenny Yang and Patricia Flores— for working with students to confirm their eligibility for the Gilman Scholarship, as well as the Skyline College, Cañada College and College of San Mateo staff and faculty who also helped spread the word to students about this opportunity.
SMCCCD Study Abroad is the district-wide study abroad program housed in the Global Learning Programs and Services Division at Skyline College. For more information about studying or interning abroad, faculty teach abroad opportunities, community travel for lifelong learners, visiting international faculty presenters and student scholarship opportunities, please contact Zaid Ghori at ghoriz@smccd.edu or (650) 738-7088 or Stephanie Wells at wellss@smccd.edu. You can also learn more by visiting the SMCCD Study Abroad Facebook page or Instagram page @smcccd_study_abroad.
Article and Photo by Stephanie Wells
