Recently, three Elizabethtown College students were awarded the prestigious Gilman Scholarship to study abroad in the spring 2019 semester. This scholarship awards up to $5,000 per recipient, helping students outset their study abroad expenses. Juniors Delaney Dammeyer, Andrea Grey and Cierra Stevens were among the 844 students selected for this competitive scholarship program, which received 3,349 applications this term. The spring 2019 list of recipients represents 335 colleges and universities across the United States.
The Congressionally funded Gilman Program broadens the U.S. student population studying and interning abroad by providing scholarships to outstanding, undergraduate, Pell Grant recipients who, due to financial constraints, might not otherwise study abroad. Since the program’s establishment in 2001, over 1,300 U.S. institutions have sent more than 28,000 Gilman scholars who represent the rich diversity of the United States to 145 countries around the globe.
Since the program began in 2001, Elizabethtown College has seen 13 students awarded the Gilman Scholarship. These students studied abroad in 10 different countries: The Gambia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.
It’s been six years since an E-town student has been awarded a Gilman Scholarship. Furthermore, the College has never seen more than two winners in a single term, so three winners for the spring 2019 term is exciting news!
The Gilman Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). “The Gilman Program aims to make study abroad, and its career advantages, more accessible and inclusive for American students. These diverse American students gain critical skills overseas that expand their career options and ability to make an impact in their home communities,” said Heidi Manley, the Chief of USA Study Abroad at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. She notes that the program particularly focuses on supporting first-generation college students, students in the STEM fields, ethnic and racial minority students, students with disabilities, students who are veterans, students attending community colleges and minority serving institutions, and other populations underrepresented in study abroad, as well as broadening the destinations where scholars study or intern.
E-town’s spring 2019 recipients of the scholarship met with the College’s Director of Communications, Keri Straub, to share their reactions on receiving the award. “This is my first time traveling out of the country, and I am really looking forward to meeting people and experiencing a new culture,” Stevens said.
“I hope to gain confidence in myself in how I interact with others, whether that be stepping out of my comfort zone to get to know others I have never met, expanding my global cultural knowledge, or gaining insight to people with different views and values than my own,” said Grey. “I also hope to gain more independence academically, socially and physically.”
Dammeyer also hopes to strengthen her soft skills sharing she hopes to, “build more self-sufficiency and exploration skills and learn to enjoy the moment.”
Delaney Dammeyer is a Sociology-Anthropology major and Spanish minor, who plans to study abroad at Bifrost University in Iceland. Cierra Stevens is also a Sociology-Anthropology major and Biology minor, who will be studying abroad in Dunedin, New Zealand at the University of Otago this spring. Andrea Grey is an engineering major, who will be attending the Hellenic American University in Athens, Greece next semester.
Students interested in applying for the Gilman Scholarship should reach out to the Study Abroad Office for assistance in building a strong application. Along with this guidance, students should review the Gilman Scholarships’ resources and ensure they allow adequate time to write and revise essays before the deadlines. The essay prompts are online, so you can begin drafting your essays before Gilman accepts applications for your term of interest.
Congratulations again Delaney, Cierra and Andrea!
Blue Jays Abroad 
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