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Seven undergraduates have received for foreign language and cultural study abroad, a record number of the grants awarded in a single year to ���㽶��Ƶ students.

And an eighth student was awarded a Boren Scholarship, but is turning it down for another academic opportunity overseas.

The Gilman scholarships are awarded by the U.S. Department of State to support students who “will return to communities across the United States with the global networks and foreign language skills needed to support U.S. economic and national security interests,” according to the Gilman website. 

Two of the Gilman recipients also received the program’s , an additional competitive grant sponsored by the State Department. 

“It has been incredibly exciting and rewarding to see a growth in our number of Gilman applicants and recipients—a true testament to the liberal arts curriculum and study abroad culture at ���㽶��Ƶ,” says , assistant dean of faculty for fellowship advising. 

The Gilman recipients this year are:

Iman Bakhshi ’28

Bakhshi, a participant in the for first-generation college students, is considering a major in with double minors in and . She has been admitted as a Chinese language student to study Chinese at the School of International Chinese Language Education of Beijing Normal University over the summer. Through the Gilman program, Bakhshi also received a Critical Need Language Award. 

Najma Bore ’27

Bore, a cognitive science major in the with minors in international studies and global health, will be studying African and Caribbean languages and cultures with the foreign studies program in over the summer. “This program offers me a rare opportunity to explore the lived experiences of African and Caribbean diasporic communities in France, a perspective I found to be absent from global studies programs. As someone who deeply values the importance of international perspectives, I am grateful for the opportunity to explore this further,” Bore says. 

Gideon Gruel ’26

Gruel, a , is double majoring in ancient history in the and the . He will take part in the Department of Classics’ in the fall. “At ���㽶��Ƶ, my courses and independent research projects focus on the intellectual and religious contests between early Christianity and Rome’s peculiar polytheism, especially the history of religious intolerance and tolerance in the greater Roman world and the dynamics between its religious and political structures,” says Gruel, who will explore Roman cultural history and the interaction with early Christian groups. 

Enoch Li ’27

Li, who also received a Critical Need Language Award, is a and double major who also participated in the . He will join the language studies abroad program in Beijing over the summer. “Growing up, I straddled two worlds, speaking Chinese at home but primarily learning English at school. Yet, as the years passed, I became increasingly aware of the gaps in my language skills. Beyond personal and academic motivations, I am drawn to the program because China’s role in global policy and economics makes fluency in Mandarin an invaluable skill for my career,” Li says.

Chelsea Ott ’27

Ott, a major with minors in and , will be joining the FSP in , in the fall. “Studying abroad through the religion FSP in Edinburgh is an opportunity to grow in ways that will shape both my career and my understanding of the world. As a pre-med student, I’ve realized that medicine isn’t just about biology and chemistry; it’s also about understanding people—their beliefs, values, and how they make decisions about their health. Religion plays a huge role in that.”

Tina Pan ’28

Pan is a FYSEP student who is planning to double major in and . She will participate in the exchange program in Budapest, Hungary, sponsored by the Department of Computer Science and the next spring. “As a first-generation, low-income student, I see this program as a transformative opportunity to explore Hungarian culture, which has always intrigued me. Participating in this program will allow me to seamlessly fulfill two of my computer science pillars while experiencing an enriching academic environment that aligns with my passion for technology from a different perspective,” Pan says.

Andrew Pham ’27

Pham, a major who also participates in the FYSEP program, will be joining the Department of Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages’ FSP program in Ho Chi Minh City in the fall. “Developing Vietnam will offer me the rare chance to conduct fieldwork abroad. This is important to me, as someone who wants to professionally pursue academic research—not only to be well-versed in computational techniques but also to experience and learn the methods and ethics of data collection,” Pham says.

Boren Award

In addition, Madeleine Shaw ’25, a government major and a Russian area major in the with a minor in has declined a fellowship for Arabic language studies in Jordan offered by the , an initiative of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Language and National Security Education Office. Instead, Shaw plans to accept admission to a master’s of philosophy program at the University of Cambridge.

Students interested in learning about scholarship opportunities can visit the .