Dream Chasers: 26 OSU Students to go Abroad with Support from the Gilman International Scholarship

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June 10, 2025 — Oregon State University has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State for producing a record-breaking 26 recipients of the Gilman Scholarship this Spring 2025 cycle. With this scholarship opportunity, these intrepid students will be going on educational experiences worldwide, in some cases for the first time ever. 

“This scholarship has made my dream of travel accessible in so many ways,” says sophomore Honors Environmental Economics and Policy student and newly named Gilman Scholar Elana Mansfield, “My trip will be filled with firsts: first time on an airplane, first time in a new country, and the first time I have truly immersed myself in another way of life.” Mansfield, along with 25 other OSU students this spring 2025, will be embarking on education abroad trips throughout the summer, fall, and winter. 

The Gilman Scholarship, run through the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, awarded 3,500 scholarships to American undergraduate students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to study abroad in over 170 countries this spring 2025. The scholarship, which seeks to award students with high financial need, has been essential in helping Pell Grant-eligible students defray the cost of education abroad programs so they can gain essential international experience and cultural skills with awards of up to $5,000. 

Here at OSU, the award spans the university in the depth and breadth of the opportunities it presents to students. This spring’s 26 recipients represent 7 different colleges and the OSU Honors College, and will be traveling to a total of 17 different host countries. They will access internship opportunities like healthcare rotations in Ghana or wildlife rehabilitation in Namibia, faculty-led excursions like the Honors College Cafes, Commodities and Climate Change trip to France or the new program Gross National Happiness: Experiencing the Life and Culture of Bhutan, and long-term academic exchanges across disciplines and fields of study. 

The 26 students awarded this spring join 2 more OSU students who received the scholarship in fall 2024, bringing the grand total of OSU’s Gilman Scholars for the 2024-2025 academic year up to 28, the most OSU students ever awarded in a single year since the scholarship’s inception in 2001. Collectively, these students have received over $80,000 in funding towards their education abroad programs to take place during 2025-2026..

Of OSU’s cohort, this scholarship represents many things: like it did for Mansfield, it can mean a chance to step outside the United States for the first time. It can also mean relief from financial stress and an opportunity to gain an international perspective on academic studies. For Biohealth Sciences junior Joselin Godinez, who is preparing to go into a career in medicine, learning firsthand in her international healthcare rotations internship with CFHI in Ghana is ideal. In her internship, Godinez will work alongside Ghanaian physicians to understand more about social determinants that impact the country’s healthcare system and learn about the challenges that local professional face in providing care. “I am looking forward to building new connections with local physicians and learning more about how medicine works in other parts of the world!” she said. 

For Godinez, the Gilman Scholarship opened her mind to the possibility of going abroad in the first place. “I never thought going abroad was an option for me until I heard about the Gilman Scholarship,” she said. 

Similarly, for freshman Environmental Economics and Policy student James Escobedo and sophomore Pre-Interior Design and Sustainability student Chloe Mayes, Gilman presents a way for them to learn from countries that particularly engage in innovative sustainability policy. Escobedo will attend the CIEE Open Campus Block program in Copenhagen, Denmark where he will be able to study the economic structures that support sustainability efforts. Mayes, attending the faculty-led Sustainable Scandinavia: Exploring Sustainable Communities in Denmark and Sweden program, will spend two weeks in fall 2025 exploring Copenhagen, Karlskrona, and Stockholm where she will learn from local experts about sustainability practices in each region. 

To both Escobedo and Mayes, the impact of these trips on their studies is clear. “The Gilman Scholarship has laid the foundation for me to pursue my passions in Scandinavia. I’m most looking forward to experiencing Danish culture firsthand and growing personally by embracing the values that shape their way of life,” Escobedo said. 

Mayes commented on how this program will deepen her studies: “This scholarship is incredibly valuable in enabling me to combine my passions for interior design and sustainability on a global scale. This opportunity allows me to explore sustainable practices in Scandinavia and bring those lessons back to enrich my academic and professional paths.” Escobedo and Mayes are both excited to apply what they’ve learned into their lives and their academics once they return to the United States.

International travel can also have a strong personal impact on students’ lives, as it will for freshman Psychology student Tatum Wilson. Wilson, who will be studying in Australia at James Cook University on an academic exchange, has had Australia in mind since she was young. “My whole life I've dreamed of going to Australia. However, being from a poor family who couldn’t even afford a plane ticket to the next state over, traveling across the world felt so unrealistic,” she said. But having won the Gilman Scholarship, Wilson’s long-term dream is about to come true: “Traveling to Australia is more than just a trip for me, it’s proof that the things I once thought were impossible are actually within reach.”

With a note for other students dreaming of travel abroad, she added, “I hope other students who’ve faced hard things see this as a sign to keep pushing forward.”

Kassandra Nuño Estrada,  Ecampus junior Political Science student, added that the Gilman Scholarship presented fresh opportunities for her: "This scholarship has allowed me the opportunity to begin a new chapter of my life and fulfill aspirations that I longed for but were simply not feasible at the time due to health issues.” Nuño Estrada is attending a pre-law program through Cornell University in Paris, France that will help her prepare for the law school application process.

And for anyone hoping to apply for the scholarship in the future, OSU’s Gilman Scholars also have a lot to add when it comes to advice about the Gilman Scholarship application. Junior Business Administration student Jay Lodge, who is attending the College of Business Stonehill Exchange at Singapore Management University says thinking about the big picture is the key: “My advice to future applicants is to really hone in on what studying abroad means to you. Why is it important? How can it change the trajectory of your future? How does your past influence your desire to study abroad? Reflect and tell your story in your essays.”

Briana Fung, senior International Business student also attending the Stonehill Exchange at Singapore Management University, emphasizes the importance of being authentic. “For anyone applying, my advice is to be authentic in your application, express your goals and share your story on how it will shape your future.” 

Gilman selection criteria emphasize that applicants should paint a clear trajectory for themselves of their studies, what they’re hoping to do in the future, and how their education abroad program and host country ties into it. Lodge and Fung made sure to emphasize why the international business hub of Singapore was the best choice for them with their Business degrees and what they will gain from the experience both personally and professionally.

Speaking practically, James Escobedo says to utilize all the resources available at your fingertips: “Draw on the three key sources of guidance available to you, such as Gilman itself (Emails, Zoom sessions and its website), your college (Proofreaders, Gilman campus advisor), and online resources. By considering these diverse perspectives and refining them into your own personal approach, you set yourself up for success.” 

Here at OSU, the office of National and Global Scholarships Advising provides dedicated support with the Gilman application. Students can meet one-on-one with advisors LeAnn Adam and Becca Otto for brainstorming, advice, and individual proofreading and feedback on application essays. National and Global Scholarships Advising also provided just-in-time writing workshops directly prior to the Gilman deadline in March 2025, and will continue to hold future sessions prior to each due date. As Escobedo pointed out, the Gilman website is also rife with resources for those hoping to apply, and host webinars and information sessions prior to every application deadline. 

Anyone interested in applying for Gilman should make an appointment with National and Global Scholarships Advising and start exploring OSU’s diverse education abroad options with the Global Opportunities office. Gilman hosts two application deadlines every year in the fall and the spring, with the next deadline falling on Friday, October 3rd 2025. Now is the perfect time to look ahead towards the next application, especially for students looking to study abroad after fall term 2025 through fall term of 2026.

For a full list of OSU students who have been recipients of the Gilman Scholarship since 2012, visit OSU’s Gilman Scholarship page.

Read the press release here.

Meet this year’s Gilman Scholars: