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CORVALLIS, Ore. – Seven undergraduate students at Oregon State University have been awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study internationally during the 2020-21 academic year under a congressionally funded program designed to broaden the United States’ participation in education abroad.

OSU’s Gilman Scholars will receive a total of $27,000 in aid to pursue their programs abroad. With seven honorees, Oregon State continues its trend of having students accepted at or greater than the national rate of 25 percent.

The Gilman scholars from OSU are:

•  Cynthia De La Torre of Albany, senior in psychology and human development and family sciences, global health internship in Botswana.
•  Esmeralda Sanchez of Woodburn, senior Ecampus student in fisheries and wildlife, forest conservation program in Malaysian Borneo.
• Catie Boucher of Wildomar, California, junior in fisheries and wildlife sciences, study-abroad program in Bhutan.
•  Dayne Smith of Bend, junior in tourism, recreation and adventure leadership, study-abroad program at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.
• Rebecca Larrabee of Albany, senior in agricultural sciences at the LaGrande/Eastern Oregon University campus, study-abroad program in agroecology and chemistry in Lyon, France.
• Julia Zavala of Tigard, senior in honors biology, pre-medical internship in Argentina.
• Metzin Rodriguez of Coos Bay, senior in bioresource research, language, culture and civilization program in Castilla y Leon, Spain.

OSU’s Gilman alternates are seniors Hannah Michalek (Albany, sociology), Madelaina Dipasquale (Corvallis, psychology) and Taryn Jacobsen (Troutdale, biohealth sciences).

According to the Gilman website, the scholarships supports first-generation college students, students in the STEM fields, ethnic and racial minority students, students with disabilities, students who are veterans, students attending community colleges and minority-serving institutions, and other populations underrepresented in international study.

Gilman Scholars whose international programs are postponed or canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic will have multiple options including deferral to the subsequent academic year, said LeAnn Adam, OSU’s coordinator for National and Global Scholarships Advising.

Since the Gilman program’s inception in 2001, more than 31,000 Gilman scholars have studied in 151 countries around the world.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported by the Institute of International Education.

At OSU, the National and Global Scholarships Advising office offers support to students to apply for the Gilman scholarship and other nationally competitive scholarships. For more information, visit https://topscholars.oregonstate.edu/