ASU a top producer of prestigious Gilman awards for study abroad
Madison Eklund, shown here during her Gilman scholarship trip to Antarctica, studied through ASU Online and graduated in December with a degree in conservation biology and ecology. ASU has been named a top producers of Gilman scholars by the U.S. Department of State. Courtesy photo
When Madison Eklund was a student at Arizona State University, she took the trip of a lifetime to Antarctica, where she got hands-on experience with field research.
The study-abroad trip was expensive — more than $20,000 — but Eklund pieced together a way to pay for it through loans, savings, fundraising and scholarships. As the wife of an active military member, she was eligible to apply for a Gilman-McCain Scholarship, which she won, helping to fund her trip.
Eklund did two more study-abroad trips, to Greenland and Costa Rica, and graduated in December with a degree in conservation biology and ecology. She attended ASU Online while living in California with her husband, who is in the Air Force.
“Getting to do study abroad was such an amazing experience, and it really helped hone in what I want to do,” said Eklund, who’s working as a biologist for the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area in Southern California. Her Antarctica trip piqued her interest in eventually working in the polar regions.
ASU has been named a top producer of winners of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which is marking its 25th anniversary this year. ASU was also named a top producer for the 20th anniversary in 2021.
There have been 48 Gilman winners from ASU since 2024 and more than 430 recipients since the program began in 2001.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named ASU a top producer in the “large colleges” category, along with the University of California, Irvine; the University of Illinois; and the University of Georgia.
The Gilman scholarship awards up to $5,000 to American undergraduate students with high financial need to pursue coursework and internships abroad. Applicants must be receiving Pell Grants, which typically are awarded to students with family incomes of less than $60,000.
Students who are studying a critical language or a STEM subject can receive up to an additional $3,000. And the Gilman-McCain scholarship, which Eklund won, offers up to $5,000 for children or spouses of active-duty military personnel. About 3,000 Gilman scholarships are awarded every year nationwide.
“Global learning experiences should not be limited by a student’s financial circumstances,” ASU Executive Vice President and University Provost Nancy Gonzales said. “The Gilman Scholarship aligns so well with our charter in its goal to expand access to transformative opportunities that prepare students to lead in an interconnected world. It is especially meaningful to see military-connected students and ASU Online students, who might not otherwise have access to traditional study-abroad pathways, able to participate in these life-changing experiences.
“Our Gilman Scholars serve as ambassadors for their communities and for ASU, building the cultural understanding and global perspective that our world urgently needs.”
Shay Masterson, program manager in the Office of National Scholarship Advisement at ASU, said that, like the Fulbright and other U.S. State Department scholarships, the Gilman awards are meant to foster relations between countries and provide positive representation of Americans.
The Gilman also encourages travel to lesser-visited countries.
“While most students do go to western European locations, or Canada, New Zealand or Australia, if they are going to an African, South American, Asian or Eastern European country, it can improve their chances,” Masterson said.
The Gilman also is a good steppingstone to other nationally competitive scholarships, Masterson said.
“A lot of Gilman scholars often receive other awards, especially ones that have that cultural exchange and citizen diplomacy,” she said.
“And the Gilman application is not as extensive as some other awards, so it's good practice for those applications. … And it’s open twice a year, so they have two chances in each academic year to apply.”
Supporting the applicants
The Office of National Scholarship Advisement promotes the Gilman program to all Pell Grant recipients at ASU, including to ASU Online students, and then offers strong support.
“They can start with an intake where we go over how to approach the application and what the essay prompts are really asking for, and we share resources and worksheets through that process,” Masterson said.
Applicants must complete four essays, and those seeking supplemental awards have six essays.
“We recommend that they go through a minimum of two to three draft reviews with our office on at least one of their essays to get the full benefit,” she said.
Eklund said that Masterson was a big help when she decided to apply.
“We set up a talk specifically about that scholarship and the ins and outs of what they look for and how the questions are worded and how it applied to me,” she said.
“I set up a Google Doc and started typing in my answers. And we would have a Zoom call and she would give me feedback. And we did that a couple of times,” she said.
Forging a career path
In February, ASU was named a top producer of students who win Fulbright awards for travel abroad.
Arnulfo Acedo Jr. is an alum whose Gilman experience jump-started his career trajectory. He traveled to North Macedonia and Greece in the summer of 2023, before his senior year, and was so captivated that he decided to apply for a Fulbright award to the same region. He won and is now teaching English at Mother Teresa University in Skopje, North Macedonia.
When he was in middle school, Acedo did a project on the Ottoman Empire and remained fascinated, which is why he chose the region for his Gilman trip.
“To be present in a place that was under this empire and learn about ancient Greece was so magnificent that I wanted to come back on the Fulbright for a longer term,” he said.
Acedo’s Gilman trip was a faculty-led program offered through ASU's Melikian Center and the School of Politics and Global Studies.
“It started the momentum for me. It kick-started that passion for international cultures,” said Acedo, a first-generation student who graduated with a degree in global studies in 2025 with minors in political science and Spanish. He wants to work in diplomacy.
“I’ve gained the skills for that from studying abroad and from the courses I've taken and by being affiliated with the Melikian Center.”
Besides teaching English to university students, Acedo shares American pop culture, sports and values with them through American Corners, a U.S. Embassy-led program.
“The Fulbright is an experience to understand how cultural ambassadors work, so it’s been a great experience.”
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