Kloe Borja, Kycel Butters, and Jewel Smith, all members of Hollins’ class of 2021, have been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship for study abroad.
The three juniors will each receive scholarships in the amount of $4,500. Borja, a biology major, and Butters, who is majoring in psychology, will spend Spring Term 2020 in Italy. Smith, a double-major in sociology and Spanish, will study in Spain this spring.
“We have had a few students from Hollins receive Gilman awards over the years, but having three in one year earning such high award amounts illustrates the excellent quality of the students we have here,” said Ramona Kirsch, Hollins’ director of international programs.
The Gilman Scholarship Program supports students who have been historically underrepresented in education abroad, including but not limited to first-generation college students, students in STEM fields, ethnic minority students, and students with disabilities. Since its inception in 2001, the program boasts 31,000 alumni representing approximately 1,300 U.S. institutions who have studied in over 150 countries.
Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study or intern abroad costs.
The Gilman Scholarship is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which fosters mutual understanding between the United States and other countries to promote good relations.