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"Four University of Alabama at Birmingham
students are among 1,200 undergraduate students from 354 colleges and
universities across the United States selected to receive the Benjamin
A. Gilman International Scholarship" inform Tiffany Westry Womack, Education; anthropology; language and communication studies; government;
history; philosophy; social work; sociology; computer and information
sciences; justice sciences; exercise science.
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| University of Alabama at Birmingham Photo: UAB.edu |
The Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by
the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. The program aims to make study abroad experiences accessible to
a more diverse population of students and to encourage students to
choose less traditional study abroad destinations. It also gives
students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other
cultures, countries, languages and economies — making them better
prepared to assume leadership roles in government and the private
sector.
Students are selected for the Gilman
Scholarship through a highly competitive application process. The
program receives more than 10,000 applications each year and awards
about 2,500 scholarships. Gilman scholars are awarded up to $5,000
toward their study abroad or internship program costs. The program aims
to support students who traditionally have been underrepresented in
education abroad, including, but not limited to, students with high
financial need, first-generation college students, students in STEM
fields, students from diverse ethnic backgrounds and students with
disabilities.
Kenneth Davis, a sophomore
double-majoring in chemistry and mathematics with a minor in Japanese,
is studying in Japan. Davis is a native of Selma, Alabama, and is in the
UAB Honors College’s Science and Technology Honors Program. He is also a
recipient of the Freeman-ASIA Scholarship to study abroad. Davis plans
to obtain a master’s degree in mathematics before applying to medical
school to become a neurosurgeon.
“Spending the summer in Japan is
fulfilling a curiosity about Japanese culture that I have fostered since
I was a child,” Davis said. “Now that I am able to actually live and
interact with native Japanese speakers in Tokyo and surrounding
prefectures, I have learned that I am becoming more aware of the subtle
differences between my home and Japan. It is my hope that proficiency in
Japanese and a mathematics degree will make me a more marketable job
candidate.”
Source: Birmingham Times
