Two Students Receive Gilman Scholarship

The Office of Education Abroad (OEA) is proud to announce that two UNC Charlotte students have been selected as recipients for the prestigious Gilman Scholarship. This scholarship, awarded by the U.S. Department of State, provides funding up to $5,000 for students participating in study abroad programs and internships around the world. The program is administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, and provides students with the opportunity to study or intern abroad, developing skills critical to national security and economic prosperity.

The scholarship is competitive, and requires two major application essays, a Statement of Purpose and a Community Impact Essay. The Community Impact Essay must include a description of how the applicants will build mutual understanding by sharing what it means to be an American, learning about their host culture, and building meaningful relationships abroad, as well as follow-on Service Project Proposal to increase awareness of study abroad and the Gilman Scholarship in their home or campus community.

Each semester the OEA offers Gilman Workshops to students interested in learning more about the scholarship, including application tips. Along with the workshops, students can also participate in a Gilman Essay Review workshop facilitated by the OEA. Students who participate in the Essay Review submit their essays to OEA staff and then meet one-on-one to receive constructive feedback so that they can improve their essays prior to submission.

Q&A with our recipients

Meet our two Gilman recipients for the fall 2020 cycle, Brieana Wray and Cindy Galvan Garcia!

Brieana Wray

1. Why do you want to study abroad? What do you hope to gain from the experience? I want to study abroad to gain cultural experiences and skills that will help me to be a better elementary school teacher. I specifically am hoping to gain fluency in the Spanish language! My goal is to be able to better relate to students that make up a large part of the student population in CMS schools.
2. What are you looking forward to the most in your program and/or host country? I am most looking forward to staying with my host family during my stay in Spain and hopefully making a lasting connection with a family that has such a different cultural perspective to teach me! I am also looking forward to seeing all of the beautiful places in Spain, of course!
3. How did you decide what to do for your service project? For my service project, I wanted to connect with others who may be in the same shoes as I am – transfer students coming from a community college. I would not have the means to study abroad if not for the Gilman Scholarship, and it is important to know that you set your own limits, so you should set them high! This is the message I hope to give to the students in the Future Teachers of America Club at Gaston Community College. It was easy for me to think of how I may have wanted to learn about the Gilman Scholarship had I not done the research on my own.
4. What advice would you give other students applying for the Gilman Scholarship? The advice I would give is to be honest, and dig deep. My essay made me step a little outside of my comfort zone because it was more personal than what I am used to sharing. I understood, however, that in order for a panel of people who did not know me to feel as if they did, I would have to be okay with stepping out of my comfort zone and giving them a real glimpse of who I am. Don’t be afraid to get personal!

Cindy Galvan Garcia

1. Why do you want to study abroad? What do you hope to gain from the experience? I want to study abroad to not only expand my way of thinking of the world but also to grow as an individual. I think being in a different country and having to become more independent will help me also to learn how to solve problems differently.
2. What are you looking forward to the most in your program and/or host country? Being very honest, I am really looking forward to trying new foods! Also to learn the language more, I have studied at home but being able to practice it is exciting! There are also some historical landmarks I would love to see, like the Jogyesa Temple!
3. How did you decide what to do for your service project? I originally wanted to do something a little bigger but I began thinking about the pandemic and some of the restrictions that may still be in place. I then decided to do something smaller that could impact my community and potentially motivate minorities to study abroad.
4. What advice would you give other students applying for the Gilman Scholarship? I would advise others who want to apply for the Gilman Scholarship to do it with time. It is not a joke when they say the application takes about 7-10 hours. It took me at least 14 hours to write all the essays and revise them! I was fortunate enough to have a friend sit down with me and edit my essays a day before the application was due.

   Even if you don’t feel confident in yourself about getting the scholarship, still apply! I did not think I was going to get anything because I decided to sit down and begin the application 3 days before the deadline. Also don’t sell yourself short trying to fit into a mold that you think the people reading want to hear about. At the end of the day there is only one you and your story is unique from others, be honest about who you are.