Three Poole College students receive federal study abroad scholarships
Three Poole College students are among the NC State University students who received federally funded scholarships to study abroad, beginning this summer.
Ayana McLemore, a Hamilton Scholar majoring in international studies and business administration, will be studying operations management and human resources management in a Poole College faculty-led program in China this summer.
Alzebeth Roman, majoring in accounting, is completing the IES European Union program this summer. Based in Frieburg, Germany, the program will take her to Turkey and the Western Balkan states for an intensive study of the European Union and its relationships with its neighbors to the east.
Gilman Scholarships
McLemore and Roman are among the nine NC State students, all from North Carolina, who received a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and the Institute for International Education.
The Gilman Scholars program aims to diversify the students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go. Students receiving a federal Pell Grant who will be studying or interning abroad for academic credit are eligible to apply.
Congressman Gilman, who retired in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chairing the House Foreign Relations Committee, commented, “Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”
Boren Scholarships
Two Poole College students received awards from the Boren Scholarships and Fellowships program sponsored by the National Security Education Program.
Evan Gearino, an honors student majoring in economics and international studies, received a prestigious Boren Scholarship to fund his studies in Amman, Jordan for the 2014-15 academic year. Gearino will be studying at the University of Jordan, learning Arabic and immersing himself in the culture.
Tara Di Cassio ‘14, an international studies major, also received a Boren Scholarship. She will be studying Arabic in Jordan and completing graduate research on how current events are portrayed in the media in Jordan. Her studies will be applied towards a graduate program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships are designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills. Boren Awards provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with resources and encouragement to acquire language skills and experience in countries critical to the future security and stability of our nation. In exchange for funding, Boren Award recipients agree to work in the federal government for a period of at least one year.
The award recipients were announced by Bailian Li, vice provost for international affairs at NC State. The NC State Study Abroad Office, with support from other campus units and donors, provided more than $205,000 in scholarships to study abroad students in 2013-14.
The scholarship recipients selected from more than 400 NC State programs in 60 countries worldwide.
“There are few experiences that are as transformative to the development of a student as study abroad,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson. “A full immersion in another culture heightens ones cultural sensitivities and opens our minds to the complexity of the world. And, if that is not enough, study abroad increases the competitiveness of our students as they seek employment upon graduation.”
The Office of International Affairs is currently accepting applications for spring 2015 study abroad programs. Summer 2015 programs will be announced on October 3, 2014 at the Study Abroad Fair. The Study Abroad Office is part of the Office of International Affairs, a 2014 winner of the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.
