Three UIC students awarded Gilman study abroad scholarships

Three students from the University of Illinois at Chicago have been awarded U.S. State Department Benjamin A. Gilman scholarships to study abroad this fall.

The UIC recipients are among more than 835 American undergraduate students from 310 colleges and universities across the U.S. selected for the honor.

The Gilman International Scholarship Program, sponsored by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, aims to diversify the group of students who study abroad and their destinations. To be eligible for the award, students must demonstrate financial need by receiving a federal Pell Grant for their studies.

Scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward their study abroad program costs. Since 2006, UIC students have won more than 175 Gilman scholarships totaling approximately $690,000.

The latest UIC recipients represent the colleges of liberal arts and sciences, urban planning and public affairs, and business administration. The recipients and their destinations include:

• Taliya Denham, a sophomore in business management from Chicago (Portage Park), who will be studying in Seville, Spain
• Jarred Gastreich, a senior in anthropology from St. Louis, Missouri, who will be studying in Oaxaca, Mexico
• Shamira Quiñones, a senior in public policy from Chicago (Humboldt Park), who will be studying in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Santiago, Chile

The Gilman program is funded through the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000 and is administered by the Institute of International Education’s Southern Regional Center in Houston. The program honors former U.S. Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman of New York, who was chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee.

To learn more about study abroad and external fellowship opportunities, visit https://studyabroad.uic.edu/ or http://oef.uic.edu/.