Students receive awards for international study

LAWRENCE — Fourteen University of Kansas students were awarded national scholarships that funded overseas study in nine countries this summer.

Twelve undergraduates received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. One undergraduate received the David L. Boren Scholarship, sponsored by the Institute of International Education and the National Security Education Program. One student was awarded a Critical Language Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Gilman Scholars are selected from a group of highly competitive undergraduates for study abroad funding. Recipients receive up to $5,000 for program costs during the summer term. A key goal of the Gilman scholarship program is to provide opportunities for students to study in foreign countries and regions regardless of socioeconomic constraints.

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

This year, 560 Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) were awarded to students from across the U.S. The CLS program provides full funding for intensive language training.  Participants spend eight to 10 weeks in one of 24 locations studying Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish or Urdu. 

The 2016 award recipients from the University of Kansas are listed below.

Gilman Scholars:

Nhi Bui, a senior from Olathe, is currently is currently studying at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea.

Jamie Hartford, a senior from Olathe, is currently studying at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea.

Kathleen Harding, a junior from Olathe, is a participant in the TESOL Practicum in Korea program.

DaCarla Mcdowell, a junior from Gary, Indiana, studied abroad at the Institut Catholique de Paris in France.

Everett Metcalf, a junior from Ulysses, is a participant in the TESOL Practicum in Korea program.

Daniel Murtha, a senior from Lansing, is studying abroad at J.F. Oberlin University in Tokyo.

Minh Nguyen, a sophomore from Overland Park, is completing a summer internship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Julianna Patterson-Hunter, a senior from Lawrence, is studying Hindi language and culture in Mussoorie, India.

Ja Juan Smith, a junior from Oklahoma City, is studying at the University of Costa Rica in San José, Costa Rica.

Michael Stanchik, a senior from Lenexa, is studying Spanish language in Buenos Aires.

Nicholas Strange, a senior from Osceola, Missouri, is studying visual art in Japan.

Gabrielle Yeager, a junior from Haysville, is completing a summer internship in Hanoi, Vietnam.

David L. Boren Scholars:

David Easley, a senior from Raytown, Missouri, is currently studying at the National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan.

Department of State Critical Language Scholars:

Krista Irick, a graduate student from Liberty, Missouri, is studying Azerbaijani in Baku, Azerbaijan.