Meet the 2010 Gilman Alumni Representatives
The Gilman International Scholarship Program held the 2nd Annual Gilman Alumni Representative Program September 25-27, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. The Gilman Program announced the opportunity for all Gilman Alumni, specifically recipients who had returned from their study abroad programs and had completed their Recipient Evaluation and Follow-on Project requirements, to apply for this special training event. We received over 60 applications from Gilman Alumni for the 10 available positions.
|
|
|
2010 Gilman Alumni Representatives (left to right, top to bottom)
Aaron, Marvin , Joshua, Kari, Naveed, Jovonte, Angela, Abike, Cynthia, Clay
|
The Gilman Alumni Representatives are a diverse group of Gilman Scholarship recipients who have studied abroad in various countries around the world and will serve as official representatives of the Gilman International Scholarship Program providing presentations and promotional outreach to university and college campuses around the nation to students and advisors interested in learning more about the Gilman Scholarship. In addition to the training the representatives received, they conducted presentations at four institutions in the Chicago area. The Gilman Program would like to extend our gratitude to Columbia College of Chicago, St. Xavier University, University of DePaul, and University of Illinois, Chicago for hosting these information sessions for their students to learn more about the opportunity to apply and study abroad with a Gilman Scholarship.
Below is the list of the 2010 Gilman Alumni Representatives, to whom the Gilman Program would also like to thank for their hard work and constant support providing outreach for the program. Updated biographies for these representatives will be available shortly on the Gilman Website at www.iie.org/gilman. If you are interested in becoming a Gilman Alumni Representative visit your campus to conduct a presentation, please keep in mind that we will send an announcement sometime in July/August 2011.
|
2010 Gilman Alumni Representatives
|
|
Name
|
Home Institution
|
Study Abroad Country
|
Academic Term
Abroad
|
|
Marvin Alfaro
|
University of Miami
|
United Kingdom
|
Fall 2009
|
|
Kari Dammerman
|
University of Alaska,
Southeast
|
Norway
|
Fall 2009
|
|
Cynthia Gomez
|
University of California, Berkeley
|
Brazil
|
Fall 2008
|
|
Aaron Howard
|
University of Georgia
|
Dominican Republic
|
Fall 2006
|
|
Abike Kamson
|
George Washington University
|
Egypt
|
Fall 2009
|
|
Naveed Nanjee
|
Vanderbilt University
|
South Africa
|
Spring 2010
|
|
Clay Ngo
|
San Francisco State University
|
China
|
Academic Year 2008-2009
|
|
Joshua Rosales
|
DePaul University
|
Spain
|
Fall 2007
|
|
Jovonte Santos
|
Alcorn State University
|
Oman
|
Fall 2008
|
|
Angela Weir
|
DePaul University
|
Hungary
|
Fall 2009
|
Spring 2011 Application Cycle Concluded – Summer & Fall 2011 Soon to Open
The Gilman International Scholarship Program concluded the application cycle for eligible students studying abroad during the Spring 2011 semester. This cycle’s applications are once again of record proportions, of which we thank the Gilman Scholarship alumni and advisors for continuous efforts promoting the scholarship to students on your campus. Over 5,800 applications were created and 2,863 were submitted. Spring 2011 applicants come from all 50 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, represent over 600 institutions and want to study in nearly 100 different countries. Selection panels will review applications during the month of November and notifications to Gilman Scholarship applicants will be sent out in early December.
The next application cycle will be for eligible students studying abroad during the Summer and Fall 2011 terms, which will open in early January 2011 with a deadline of March 1, 2011. Even though as a recipient of the Gilman Program you are not eligible to apply again to receive a Gilman Scholarship, please share this information with your friends, peers, classmates, or during your Follow-on Project presentations. You can also inform your audience that over 2,300 scholarships are being offered this academic year, so it's never been a better time to apply for a Gilman Scholarship to study abroad!
Reminder for Recent Returnees
Welcome back to the Gilman Scholars who have recently returned from their time abroad. We hope you had an amazing experience that was academically, professionally, and personally rewarding. There are just a few things to do to conclude your responsibilities to the Gilman Scholarship Program. Further information and assistance with these responsibilities can be found on the Gilman website’s Resources for Alumni page at www.iie.org/gilman.
§ Update your contact information. Please email us at gilman_scholars@iie.orgto update your contact information.
§ Online Evaluations. Upon your return from abroad all Gilman Scholars are required to submit a Scholarship Recipient Evaluation. This document can be filled out online at the Gilman website's Resources for Alumni - Evaluation page at www.iie.org/gilman.
§ Follow-On Projects. If you have not already started your Follow-On Project, please remember you have 6 months from the date of your return to the U.S. to complete your project and submit your report to the Gilman Scholarship Program. For assistance or guidance, visit the Gilman website's Resources for Alumni - Follow-on Project page at www.iie.org/gilman or contact the Gilman Staff at gilman_scholars@iie.org.
§ Stay connected. The Gilman Scholarship Program has joined the social media movement in order to more actively engage with applicants, recipients, alumni, and advisors. You can now follow us on Facebook (Gilman International Scholarship - Official Page), Twitter and YouTube.
Distinguished Gilman Scholar – Hanna Owens
Senegal, Spring 2009, Towson University
 |
Hanna Owens studied in Dakar, Senegal during the Spring 2009 term, where she lived with a Senegalese family and one other American student from her program and attended classes at a local university, including Senegalese art and culture and the Wolof language. Upon her return to the U.S., Hanna completed her Gilman Scholarship Follow-on Project by presenting to French and art classes at her home institution, Towson University, about study abroad and scholarship opportunities. She produced several oil paintings based on her experience. Subsequently, she held an exhibition showcasing her artwork on campus, where she continued to encourage her peers to study abroad, to apply for a Gilman Scholarship, and how her experience influenced her artwork. The selected artwork entitled Ngor is one of the many pieces inspired by living in Dakar; Ngor is the name of a commune d’arrondissement in Dakar. Hanna says she has told many people about the Gilman International Scholarship because otherwise, “I wouldn’t have been able to go abroad if it wasn’t for the aid that I received.” After graduation, Hanna plans on applying for a Fulbright grant, possibly teaching English abroad or conducting a teaching assistantship in France.
Hanna's artwork was selected by the Institute of International Education to be placed on the front cover of the 2010 Open Doors, IIE's premier research publication. The Gilman International Scholarship Program is extremely proud of Hanna's achievement.