4 ASU students win Gilman Scholarships for study abroad

Sarah Moser, an Arizona State University junior majoring in justice studies and sociology, and a student in Barrett, the Honors College, hopes to work as a federal agent with the FBI or for the U.S. State Department. She will get an opportunity to explore her interests in criminal justice and government as a Gilman Scholar studying abroad in the United Kingdom this fall.

Moser, along with three other ASU students, has been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad for the fall 2014 semester. The Gilman Scholarship Program provides study abroad opportunities for university students in the U.S. who are receiving federal Pell Grant funds. Each student is awarded up to $5,000 to apply toward his or her study abroad program costs. Students who intend to study a critical need language can be eligible to receive a Critical Need Language Supplement of $3,000 for a total award of up to $8,000.

Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray study abroad costs, including program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.

Moser received $3,000 to study at the University of Leicester in an exchange program focusing on criminology, law and sociology.

“I am incredibly grateful to be chosen as a Gilman Scholarship recipient. Without this aid, I would not have been able to participate in study abroad,” Moser said, adding that the scholarship will help broaden her global perspective and contribute to her work on an honors thesis.

“This opportunity to study different policing and government systems is invaluable and can only help me in my future career path,” she said.

Christina Lam, a Barrett student majoring in psychology, received the Gilman Scholarship for $4,500 and will study at the National University of Singapore. Lam hopes to study counseling psychology in graduate school, and said the Gilman scholarship will help her achieve this goal.

“It will allow me to grow and gain different perspectives. It is important to stay flexible and not stagnant in thinking, and being abroad will be a great way to keep my mind active,” she said.

Joshua Boatright, an ASU French and global studies major, received $5,000 to intern in the language and culture program at the Suffolk University in Dakar, Senegal.

“My time in Senegal will be the crowning moment of my undergrad experience,” said Boatright, who will graduate in 2015.

“I have recently started applying for graduate school and have the dream of becoming a Foreign Service officer with the U.S. State Department in the future. This scholarship is a launchpad for my future career and will provide a significant edge above other applicants when I apply for jobs,” he added.

Ariel LeBarron, a sustainability major, received $5,000 to study at the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany, where she will focus on German and sustainability.

"The Gilman Scholarship will enhance my undergraduate experience because it allows me the ability to study in Germany to learn the language, culture and sustainability initiatives implemented throughout Germany," said LeBarron, who ultimately would like to become a professor or work with the city of Phoenix on implementing community sustainability practices.

"This experience will help me grow as a person, not only in my language skills, but also in my knowledge of other cultures and sustainability efforts," she added.

The Gilman Scholarship Program is one of many study abroad opportunities for which ASU students can apply. ASU students can study abroad through more than 250 programs in more than 60 countries facilitated by the Study Abroad office.

Students are assisted in applying for the Gilman Scholarship by the Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarship Advisement housed at Barrett Honors College. The office helps students from all of ASU’s four campuses prepare to compete for national and international awards of merit. Since 1991, students directed by the office have won more than 427 major national awards worth millions of dollars in external funding.