A total of 15 UConn students have been awarded a Gilman Scholarship in the latest cohort to earn the prestigious academic award. The award is congressionally funded through the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs at the State Department.

The funding supports expanding student participation in study abroad programs and encourages travel to diverse locations around the globe, along with intensive language study and internship experiences.

The 15 UConn students, who will study in 10 different countries, will receive a total of nearly $47,500 in scholarship funds through the Gilman program. A total of 22 UConn students have earned Gilman awards in the last two cohorts – the current cohort and October 2025 – for a total of more than $75,000 in scholarship funding.

Six of UConn’s Gilman Scholars come from regional campuses, and the group also includes two students who received the Gilman-FLAD Portugal award, one who received the Critical Language Need Award, and one who received the STEM Supplemental Award.

Students applying for Gilman Scholarships work with advisors in UConn’s Office of National Scholarships & Fellowships (ONSF) and Experiential Global Learning (EGL). Raquel Kupstis, an advisor in EGL, and Michael Cunningham, assistant director of ONSF and UConn’s Fulbright program advisor, are UConn’s two Gilman certifying advisors.

“The beauty of the Gilman Scholarship is that it allows students to study abroad who might otherwise not be able to,” says Cunningham. “We couldn’t be prouder of our students who have been recognized by the program and who will be able to experience other peoples and cultures firsthand.”

Upon their return from studying abroad, each Gilman Scholar is required to complete a service project 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.

“These students are not only preparing for transformative experiences abroad, but are also thinking critically about how they will share those experiences with others when they return to campus,” says Kupstis “We are thrilled to see them represent UConn a global scale.”

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 the last two cycles, and they are listed with the location of where they will study or have studies as part of the program:

Aaliyah Persad ’27 (CLAS), a psychology major who is a Critical Language Need Award recipient, and was selected to study at Korea University in Seoul this past spring.

Rumaysa Ahmed ’29 (BUS), a business major at UConn Hartford from Farmington, who will be studying at Waseda University in Tokyo this summer.

Kevin Barrio Espana ’29 (CLAS), an economics major at UConn Stamford, who will be studying at the Institute of Lisbon in Portugal in the spring of 2027.

Sarah Cartagena ’28 (SFA), a digital media and design major from Newington, who will be studying in Florence, Italy, this summer.

Francis Chamere ’27 (CLAS), a sociology and psychology double major, who will be studying in Belize next winter.

Lilliana Gluzak ’28 (ENG), a chemical engineering major, who will be studying at the University of Queensland in Australia as a STEM Supplemental Award recipient this fall.

Kaitlin Gomez ’27 (CLAS), an economics major, who studied business in London this past spring.

Ian Frank Ondobo ’28 (CLAS), a chemistry major, who will be studying at the University of Singapore this fall.

Melissa Issa ’27 (CLAS), a speech, language and hearing sciences major, who studied at the International Studies Institute in Florence, Italy, this past spring.

Kecelia Hill ’28 (CAHNR), a fisheries and wildlife conservation major, who will be study field ecology in South Africa this summer.

Shaniqua Jones ’27 (CLAS), a political science and Africana studies major from Windsor, who will be in the Applied Research for Nursing Practice Program in Peru this summer.

Sofia Lotoskyy ’28 (BUS), a management major from Bethel, who studied at the University of Mannheim in Germany this past spring.

Stanley Lu ’26 (BUS), a management major from South Windsor, who studied in Barcelona, Spain, this past winter.

Victoria Gloria ’30 (CLAS), a pre-individualized major at UConn Stamford, who will be studying business in London this summer.

Destiny Marbella Martinez ’27 (CAHNR), an allied health sciences major at UConn Waterbury, who will be studying at Waseda University in Tokyo this summer.

McKayla Maynard ’29 (CLAS), an English major from Bolton, who will be studying at University College in Dublin, Ireland, this summer.

Rosalina Olivero ’27 (CLAS), a psychology and human development and family sciences major, who will be studying psychology in Florence, Italy, this summer.

Gabrielle Pines ’28 (CAHNR), an animal science major who will be studying in South Africa, this summer.

Juviana Rene ’29 (ACES), a UConn Stamford students who will be studying at Nova University in Lisbon, Portugal, as a Gilman-FLAD Portugal recipient this spring.

Kathlyn Siriano ’28 (BUS), a financial management major at UConn Stamford from Greenwich, who will be studying business in London this summer.

Hannah Song ’28 (NUR), a nursing major, who be studying at University College in Dubin, Ireland, this summer.

Kemely Soares ’28 (BUS), a management major, who studied at the University of Lisbon in Portugal as a Gilman-FLAD Portugal recipient, this past spring.