Several College of Charleston students have received prestigious international awards to study abroad in spring 2012. Sarah Mentrup (junior political science major) is the recipient of a Freeman Award for Study in Asia (Freeman-ASIA). April Adams (junior international studies major) and Stacy Calhoun (senior marine biology major) are recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.
“We are excited that our students are continuing to secure these coveted national awards to support their study abroad,” says Andrew Sobiesuo, director of the Center for International Education. Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs George Hynd adds, “This reflects very well on the quality of our students and the excellence of our programs and staff.”
Sarah Mentrup will be awarded up to $5,000 to travel to China and participate in the Chinese Intensive Language Program. She is the College’s first Freeman-ASIA award winner in the last two years. The goal of the Freeman-ASIA program is to increase the number of Americans with first-hand exposure to and understanding of Asia and its people and cultures.
April Adams has been awarded $4,000 to participate in the College of Charleston’s semester abroad program in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Stacy Calhoun has received $5,000 to study with the School for International Training (SIT) program in Costa Rica and Panama.
About the Freeman-ASIA Program
Freeman-ASIA (Freeman Awards for Study in Asia) is designed to support American undergraduates with demonstrated financial need who are planning to study overseas in East or Southeast Asia. Award recipients are required to share their experiences with their home campuses or communities to encourage study abroad by others and fulfill the program’s goal of increasing understanding of Asia in the United States. From 2001 to 2009, Freeman-ASIA supported over 4,000 U.S. undergraduates from more than 600 institutions with their study abroad plans in East and Southeast Asia.
About the Gilman Scholarship Program
The program, founded by Congress in 2000, aims to encourage students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to, students with high financial need, community college students, students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities. Over 2,300 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded this academic year for U.S. citizen undergraduates to study abroad.
