Thirteen students receive scholarships for overseas study

LAWRENCE —  Thirteen University of Kansas students have been awarded national scholarships that will fund overseas study.

Eight undergraduate students received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which is sponsored by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Amber Norris, a junior from Wichita, will spend the summer in Argentina. Chad Buttram, a senior from Arkansas City, will study in India. Der Lee, a senior from Hutchinson, will study in Japan. Gabriel Alaniz, a sophomore from Overland Park, will study in Greece. Kasey Hernandez, a sophomore from Garden City, will study in Taiwan. Lynne Yang, a junior from Kansas City, Kan., will study in China. Rachel Trottier, a junior from Wichita, will study in the United Kingdom. Valencia Johnson, a junior from Wichita, will study in Ireland.

Gilman Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad program costs. The Gilman program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study abroad and the countries and regions where they go by supporting undergraduates who might otherwise not study abroad due to financial constraints.

Three students received a Critical Language Scholarship, which is also sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Garvey Burrows and Sally Kagay, both juniors from Topeka, will study Persian in their host country of Tajikistan this summer. Katrina Lynn, a graduate student from Gillette, Wyo., will study Russian in Russia.

The Critical Language Scholarship program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. It provides fully funded, group-based summer intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences.

Ashlie Koehn, a junior from Burns, was awarded a Boren Scholarship. Koehn will spend an academic year studying Russian in Kyrgyzstan.

Boren Scholarships provide American undergraduate students with the resources they need to acquire skills and experiences in exchange for their commitment to seek work in the federal government. The program focuses on geographic areas, languages and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security.

Anna Balmilero, a junior from Lawrence, received the Hiliary Echo Douglas Memorial Scholarship for a year of study in South Korea.

The $10,000 award is administered by the Fund for Education Abroad, a nonprofit committed to increasing the opportunities for dedicated American students to participate in high-quality, rigorous education abroad programs by reducing financial restrictions through the provision of grants and scholarships.