Since 2018, the University of South Florida has consistently ranked No. 1 in Florida for producing Gilman Scholars. For the 2024–25 academic year, 44 USF students were selected for the award, receiving a combined $124,000 to support their international programs.
This year’s cohort will travel to 16 countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship aims to equip young Americans with the professional skills, language proficiency, and global experience needed for successful careers by supporting Pell Grant recipients who study or intern abroad.
Experiential Learning for a Globalized Society
Jeanette Janvier (right) posing with fellow USF Gilman Scholarship recipient Shenica Jerome at Huawei's Montreal Research Center.
Jeanette Janvier was the first of this year’s cohort to complete her study abroad experience over spring break through the USF Public Health in Canada program. She spent the week in Montreal and Quebec City visiting hospitals, senior living facilities, cultural sites, and Laval University, where she and her peers learned about Canada’s health care system from faculty. “As an aspiring physician, this trip gave me the tools to further research health disparities and become a well-rounded professional,” Janvier said.
Of the 20 students attending the Judy Genshaft Honors College’s South Korea Beyond the Classroom program this May, four were named Gilman Scholars – Micaela Arleo-Gil, Madiha Reza, Brandon Tran, and Savannah Wilson. Making the trip even more special, Lauren Roberts, the primary advisor for the Gilman Scholarship at USF, traveled to South Korea as the co-lead for the Honors program. A likely factor in the students' successful applications is the program’s built-in peer exchange, which pairs each USF student with a “pen pal” at Yonsei University in Seoul. The students began communicating with their pen pals at the start of the spring semester and then met them in person during their time abroad in May. This type of extended cultural exchange is an important value for the Gilman Scholarship program.
Two students – Anapaula Blanco and Elizabeth Hammond – were selected for a summer program in Bolivia, where they will participate in clinical rotations at health facilities in La Paz, hosted by Child and Family Health International. As part of the experience, students will participate in immersive learning experiences such as homestays, language partnerships, internships, and fieldwork, while also studying medical vocabulary in Spanish, an important skill for practitioners in the United States.
Impact Beyond the Travel
Upon returning from their programs, Gilman Scholars complete follow-on service projects designed to encourage their peers to explore international education. These student-led efforts help demystify study abroad and inspire more USF students to take advantage of global opportunities.
USF Gilman alumni also continue to serve as role models for future students. Hiram Ríos Hernández, a 2013 Gilman Scholar, was recently named a recipient of the USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award. He currently serves as an international relations officer at the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru, and recently returned to campus to speak with student groups about his journey.
When speaking about the impact Gilman had on his trajectory, he said, “The Gilman Scholarship allowed me to study in China at a critical point in my Mandarin learning journey. That immersive experience accelerated my progress, deepened my global perspective, and played a key role in my path to becoming a U.S. diplomat.”
For many recipients, the Gilman Scholarship is just the beginning. As it was for Ríos Hernández, the program serves as a launchpad for competitive national awards, graduate education, and professional careers.
Students can visit the USF Office of National Scholars website for more information about the Gilman Scholarship.