This November, three Arcadia students received the U.S. Department of State’s Gilman International Scholarship Program Spring 2018 Award, a national scholarship benefiting students who plan to study abroad.

Biology major Aspen Settle ’19 will study in Australia, Computer Science major Jules Turner ’20 will travel to the United Kingdom, and Aldo Andrade ’19, an International Studies and Spanish major, will study abroad in Chile.

“As a first generation college student, I was going in blind to the study abroad process,” said Andrade. “The Gilman Scholarship is a godsend. A large portion of my essay was focused on how choosing Chile was a form of protest for me. There are misconceptions about Latin America that paint it in a negative light, when in fact it has some of the most vibrant and complex cultures in the world.”

This academic year, more than 2,900 undergraduate students across the nation received Gilman International Scholarships of up to $5,000. The competitive award can be put toward program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance, international airfare, and passport and visa fees.