Barrett Honors College students win Killam Fellowships for study in Canada

Three students in Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University have been awarded the Killam Fellowship to study abroad in Canada.

The Killam Fellowships Program is administered through Fulbright Canada and provides $5,000 for a semester or $10,000 for a full academic year, $800 for travel in Canada, room and board, and a health insurance allowance for American undergraduate students studying at a Canadian university.

The students were assisted in applying for the Killam Fellowships by staff at the Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarship Advisement (LWFONSA) housed at Barrett Honors College. LWFONSA helps students from all ASU’s campuses prepare to compete for national and international awards of merit. Since 1991, LWFONSA-directed students have won more than 427 major national awards worth millions of dollars in external funding. In several competitions, ASU ranks among the top schools in the United States. In addition to Killam, awards won include Gilman, Rhodes, Marshall, Fulbright, Truman, Goldwater, Mellon, NSF, Udall, National Security Education Program (graduate and undergraduate), Freeman Asia, Hon Kachina, Javits, Woodrow Wilson, Rotary, USA Today, and others.

ASU students also receive assistance from the Study Abroad office. Students can study abroad through over 300 programs in more than 60 countries facilitated by the Study Abroad Office.  More information on options can be found at https://studyabroad.asu.edu/

Quentin Gunn, a junior majoring in economics and math, is looking forward to studying health economics at McGill University in Montreal during the spring 2013 semester.

“It should be interesting to get a different perspective on the issues regarding health care access and funding that will help to shape the course of my studies,” Gunn said, adding that he’ll also take classes focusing on Canadian politics.

Kewmars Keyvani, a biology major set to graduate in 2014, studied biology and psychology at Queen’s University during the fall 2012 semester.

“I feel great and consider myself very lucky to receive this award,” he said, adding that the benefits of studying in Canada were numerous.

“Being an exchange student put me in contact with other exchange students; I learned a lot about schools and curricula in other countries from the international students I met; I had the chance to make a lot of contacts, particularly with people who have the same goal as me of getting into medical school; and I was able to visit Ottawa, the nation’s capital, twice and go on a tour of parliament each time,” he said.

Mark Beal, a finance and supply chain management major who will graduate next year, studied French and theater at the University of Ottawa during Fall 2012.

Beal said his Killam Fellowship included more than academic work. He visited Montreal for a week, attended an event at the home of U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson, and participated in a hockey game with other Killam and Fulbright scholars.

“Without a doubt, this whole experience increased my knowledge of the world outside of the U.S. tenfold.  In terms of my overall studies, the program allowed me to round out my business background with language, music, and fine arts experiences that I think will prove invaluable in my life and career ahead,” Beal said.