Clockwise from top left: Bard College Gilman Scholarship recipients David Taylor Demeter ’25, Angel Ramirez ’25, Jennifer Wu ’25, Lisbet Jackson ’25, Yadryl Lajeunesse ’25, and Lyra Cowley ’25.
Six Bard College students have received Benjamin A. Gilman International is highly competitive by the US Department of State. Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 if they are also a recipient of a Gilman Critical Need Language Award, to apply to cover the costs of their study abroad or internship program. This group of Gilman Scholars will teach or train in more than 90 countries and represent more than 500 U.S. colleges and universities.
Biology major Yadriel Lajeunesse ’25, from Clifton, New Jersey, received a $3,000 Gilman Scholarship to study at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador via tuition exchange for spring 2024. At Bard, he works as a residential life peer counselor and supervisor of the Bard EMT Squad. “This scholarship made studying abroad possible for me,” says LaJeunesse. “I want to focus on global public health in my future career as a health care worker and researcher. By traveling, I hope to enhance the cultural sensitivity and communication skills that are sorely needed in my field. I am very grateful to the Gilman Scholarship for this opportunity.”
French and Anthropology double major Lyra Cowley ’25from Blue Hill, Maine, was awarded a $4,000 Gilman Scholarship to study at the Center for University Programs Abroad (CUPA) in Paris, France through a tuition exchange for Spring 2024. “I would like to thank the Gilman Scholarship for giving me the financial security and freedom abroad. “This scholarship allows me to fully embrace the experience of learning and living abroad without worry or financial stress,” Cawley says.
Biology major Angel Ramirez ’25Ramirez, from the Bronx, New York, received a $3,000 Gilman Scholarship to attend Roosevelt University College in Middleburg, Netherlands, through a tuition exchange for spring 2024. “I am very grateful to be a Gilman Scholarship recipient,” Ramirez says. . “It is a great opportunity to be able to pursue my goals in biology for my future in STEM. I am excited to learn a new language abroad in the Netherlands and experience new cultures without a financial barrier. I am proud that I come from a family of Mexican immigrants. Therefore, I feel By power because people like me are able to participate in great change like this one.
Combined major in Spanish Arts and Written Arts Lisbet Jackson ’25, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, has been awarded a $4,000 Gilman Scholarship to study at Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador through a tuition exchange for spring 2024. I am committed to developing my Spanish, studying literature, and immersing myself in Ecuadorian culture. “Thanks to the Gilman Scholarship, I will also be better prepared to pursue a career in multilingual and global education,” Jackson says.
Specialization in sociology Jennifer Wu ’25, from Brooklyn, New York, was awarded a $3,500 Gilman Scholarship to study at Bard College Berlin in Germany for the spring of 2024. “Receiving this scholarship means fully exploring and pursuing my dream of studying abroad with the freedom to have financial resources.” “The support I was hoping for,” Wu says. “My father is an artist who always pushed me to travel and seek out new culture, arts, and experiences, so being able to fulfill this dream with the resources of an education means the world to me.”
Specialization in German Studies David Taylor Demeter ’25from Budapest, Hungary, was awarded a $5,000 Gilman Scholarship to study at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany through a tuition exchange for spring 2024. “An invaluable opportunity,” says Taylor Demeter.
Since the program’s inception in 2001, more than 41,000 Gilman Scholars from all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories have studied or trained in more than 160 countries around the world. The Department of State has awarded more than 3,600 Gilman Scholarships during the 2022-2023 academic year.
The late Congressman Gilman, for whom the scholarship is named, served in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chaired the House Foreign Relations Committee. When he was honored with the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Medal in 2002, he said: “Living and learning in a vastly different environment in another country not only exposes our students to alternative viewpoints, it adds a rich social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return to their countries with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, and encourage them to be contributors, rather than spectators, in the international community.
The Gilman Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and its implementation is supported by the Institute of International Education (IIE). To learn more, visit: gilmanscholarship.org.
another history: 12-12-2023
Bard College is proud to announce that six of its students have been awarded the prestigious Gilman International Scholarships to support their study abroad experiences. These scholarships will provide these students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in new cultures, gain valuable academic and personal growth, and contribute to their overall college experience. Bard College is thrilled to see its students recognized and supported in their endeavors to expand their global perspectives and knowledge. Congratulations to the six recipients on this well-deserved achievement.