The Gilman Scholarship, a prestigious academic award congressionally funded through the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs at the State Department, has been awarded to nine UConn students for the current application cycle. Another UConn student has earned a Critical Need Language Award (CLNA) from the Gilman program.
The funding supports broadening student participation in study abroad programs and encourages travel to diverse locations around the globe, along with intensive language study and internship experiences.
Students applying for Gilman Scholarships work with advisors in UConn’s Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships (ONSF) and Experiential Global Learning (EGL). Laura Hills, associate director of EGL, and Michael Cunningham, assistant director of ONSF and UConn’s Fulbright program advisor, are UConn’s two Gilman certifying advisors.
“I consider Gilman Scholarship advising to be some of the most important work we do, and I know my colleagues in EGL feel the same way,” says Vin Moscardelli, director of UConn’s Office of National Scholarships and Fellowships. “Gilman makes study abroad possible for students who otherwise might never had had the chance to reap the benefits of such experiences. There are some thorny methodological issues associated with trying to document the impact of studying abroad on student success, but a growing body of literature suggests that the students who benefit the most from studying abroad are the very students the Gilman Scholarship is built to support.”
Each Gilman Scholar is required to complete a service project upon their return from studying abroad in their campus or home community, with the goal of sharing the value of participation in study abroad and promoting the scholarship to prospective students. Applications are reviewed with consideration for the proposed follow-up service project.
Eligibility for the Gilman Scholarship requires undergraduate students to be Pell Grant-eligible, United States citizens who plan to study abroad for academic credit through a program approved by their home institution. Supporting students with high financial need provides access to students who are historically underrepresented in study abroad, including first-generation college students, STEM majors, ethnic and racial minority students, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ students, and others who experience barriers to participation.
Students from underrepresented areas of the U.S. are also considered during the application process and this year there are recipients from all 50 states.
The following UConn students were selected as Gilman Scholars in this cycle and they are listed with the location of where they will study as part of the program:
Abdulrahman Elrefaei ’26 (BUS), an analytics information management major from New Haven, will study business and economics in London this fall.
Donovan Brown ‘26 (CLAS), an economics major from Vernon, will perform an internship in London this summer.
Skylar Dodge ‘26 (CLAS), a psychological sciences major from Woodstock, will study at the University of Birmingham in England this summer.
Anna Heqimi ‘26 (CLAS), a communication and journalism major from Manchester, will study at the University of Granada in Spain this fall.
Sarah Koehler ‘26 (CLAS), an anthropology major, will study Eastern and Central European studies at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, in the spring 2025 semester.
Maria Lopez-Capa ‘25 (CLAS), a communication major from New Haven, will study in the general studies program at the Umbra Institute in Perugia, Italy, in the spring 2025 semester.
Geraldine Odikah ‘24 (CAHNR), an allied health sciences major from Groton, is doing an internship in London this summer.
Jennifer Pires ‘26 (CLAS), a psychological sciences and sociology major from Bethel, earned a CLNA award and will teach at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, this fall.
Isabel Ayala Rodriguez ‘25 (CAHNR), an allied health sciences major, is taking part in EGL’s Mediterranean Diet and Tuscan Cuisine Program in Florence, Italy, this summer.
Manogna Reddy ‘25 (CLAS), a physiology & neurobiology and molecular & cell biology major, will study neuroscience this summer in Salamanca, Spain.
The Office of Experiential Global Learning (EGL) and the Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships (ONSF) are resources for students interested in learning more about the Gilman Scholarship and other scholarships and fellowships that support education abroad opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students. Students interested in learning more about the Gilman should reach out UConn’s Gilman Certifying Advisors Laura Hills (EGL) and Michael Cunningham (ONSF).
