Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers scholarships to assist undergraduate students with limited financial means to study or intern abroad. Since the program’s inception in 2007, nearly 30 Geneseo students, including myself, have received the Gilman Scholarship to help finance our time abroad.

I was Geneseo’s only Gilman recipient for the fall 2017 semester. I choose to study abroad in South Africa at the University of Cape Town, partially due to my interest in the country and my desire to study abroad outside of Western Europe. As an International Relations major and Conflict Studies minor, I believed that having an unusual study abroad location would set me apart from my peers. I am glad I made the decision to study in Sub Saharan Africa with the help of the Gilman as this experience has impacted me tremendously. It opened my eyes to a new raw perspective on inequality, a new admiration for activism, and a great desire to live abroad again. These three factors drew me in so much so that after I graduate this December, I plan on returning to the University of Cape Town for a masters program to further my knowledge in the field of international relations and also explore the country even deeper. For this, I cannot thank the Gilman program enough. Nevertheless, after returning state-side I wanted to interview other program alumni in an attempt to understand how their time abroad influenced their personal and professional pursuits after graduating from Geneseo. I was able to reach out to four alumni, Ariana Lippi, Shekiqua Reid, Stella Ordo, and Julia Mizutani. Adrianna and Julia studied abroad in Uganda, Shekiqua in Senegal, while Stella spent a semester in South Korea. “I went to Jinja, Uganda because I thought it would be an immersive and challenging experience for me – which it was,” said Ariana. For future applicants, it is important to know that preference is given to those who study or intern abroad in underrepresented countries. These include Eastern Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, along with South and Central Asia. When applying for jobs, graduate programs, internships and the like, interviewers have made it a point to ask about our Gilman study abroad experience. Using the Gilman as a talking point during interviews has made us competitive applicants for jobs, internships, and graduate programs. In personal experience, I believe that my experience studying abroad in South Africa was what made me stand out at my past two internships, one being at a multicultural center and the other at a refugee center. Being a Gilman Alumni is a prestigious honor. Ariana, Stella, Julia, Shekiqua and I welcome any questions individuals may have about our time abroad in an underrepresented country and our experience with the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program. You can read about Ariana, Stella, Julia, and Shekiqua’s experience with the Gilman Scholarship below.

More detailed information about the Gilman Scholarship Program can be found at: http://www.gilmanscholarship.org/, or by speaking to the Director of National Scholarships and Fellowships Michael Mills ([email protected]).

Ariana- Internship Abroad, Uganda Contact: [email protected]

Ariana Lippi graduated from Geneseo with a Spanish Language/Literature and International Relations degree, with a concentration in the developing world in 2016. After graduation, she pursued a fellowship at the organization that she worked with during her Gilman semester¬– the Foundation for Sustainable Development in Uganda. Upon returning from the fellowship, Ariana started to work for Columbia Law School, then pursued an internship at WaterAid America. Currently, she maintains a full-time position at the Natural Resources Defense Council in the field of development. Clearly, her time in Uganda as a Gilman Scholar helped to outline her career trajectory. On a personal level, studying abroad helped to broaden her perspective and foster a more open mind. “I was more open to trying new things and meeting new people when I returned,” she noted. As for advice, Ariana suggests keeping a journal to memorialize your time abroad and track your growth. This will also help when you are called upon to reflect on the experience stateside with the Follow-On Service Project. To Ariana, this reflection was one of the most beneficial aspects of the scholarship program. Julia- Internship Abroad, Uganda Contact: [email protected] At Geneseo, Julia was an International Relations major who minored in French and Environmental Studies. Driven by past experiences during a gap year in Sub-Saharan Africa, she felt the need to return and continue her work on the continent. After graduating in 2016, Julia went on become a public interest scholar at Georgetown University law school in Washington, D.C. Influenced by her time in Uganda; her career goals are geared towards the topics of the environment and civil rights. “After working with women agriculturalists in Uganda, I realized how profoundly climate change will affect those who are least at fault for the state of the world,” she says. Additionally, her experience made her rethink development work, noting that she feels “strongly that international work can often be another form of colonization,” which is why she has decided to work towards racial and environmental justice on a domestic level rather than international development after graduating from Geneseo. She recommends applying to the Gilman, “because for many of us it may be the only way we can afford to go abroad,” and that without the program “[she] would not have made all the subsequent choices that have led to [her] becoming an attorney and being the strong-willed person that [she is] today.” Shekiqua- Semester Abroad, Senegal Contact: [email protected]

Shekiqua is an International Relations major who studies French and is on track to graduate in spring 2019. Being an African American woman, Shekiqua felt the need to visit Africa in order to gain a greater understanding of herself. “It was important for me to have my own narrative, understand its origins and the people who live in Senegal from their cultural, traditions, ethnic languages and identity,” she mentioned. While Shekiqua, like myself, has not yet graduated, studying abroad with the Gilman has provided her with many academic opportunities. She has since become a Resident Assistant here at Geneseo, a JFEW SUNY Scholar, and is currently working towards graduate scholarships for a Masters in International Affairs. Clearly, the Gilman Program was able to provide Shekiqua with more clear career path post-Geneseo. She recommends the scholarship to anyone who is eligible, as it has “”positively and absolutely impacted [her] personal and professional life.” Stella- Semester Abroad, South Korea Contact: [email protected] Stella Oduro used the Gilman to help finance a semester abroad in South Korea. Graduating from Geneseo in 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in International Relations with an Asian Studies minor, Stella believes that studying abroad has had, and will have, a lasting impact on her life. She chose to study in South Korea because of the familiarity she felt with the Korean culture and etiquette and her own. The experience helped her become “more confident, self-aware in terms of [her] culture, privileges associated with being American abroad and the disadvantages associated with being black abroad.” In terms of her career path, Stella wants to become diversity coordinator or work with international students, and credits some of her interest to the impact of the Gilman program on her personal and professional goals. In terms of advice to students who are looking to apply, Stella stresses that when imagining your study abroad experience, “don’t just think about yourself and what you will learn from your country but also about what you will bring to the country you are visiting.” “[the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program] has proven to me and others that it truly is not where you begin but what you do with the time you have allotted to make effective change especially when provided an opportunity.” – Shekiqua Reid Michael Mills: Director of National Fellowships and Scholarships, Doty 303E, [email protected] Julia: Uganda, [email protected] Ariana: Uganda, [email protected] Stella: South Korea, [email protected] Shekiqua: Senegal, [email protected] Alexis: South Africa, [email protected]