Berry Students Earn Study Abroad ScholarshipsTwo Berry College students have earned study abroad scholarships for travel in Australia and Europe this spring.
Junior Megan Walton is currently studying abroad at Murdoch University in Australia after receiving the Gilman International Scholarship. The scholarship offers grants for American undergraduate students to pursue academic study abroad opportunities.
Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study abroad costs. The costs provided by the scholarship include program tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance, and international airfare.
Walton, of Wyoming, Del., is studying animal science with aspirations of attending veterinary school. While studying at Murdoch, Walton is taking courses in pathology and animal disease production, marine biology, and environmental restoration.
So far, she has met people from all over the globe as she studies abroad.
“I think this experience is going to go far in teaching me not only about myself but also to become a global citizen in a true sense,” said Walton.
Berry College Director of International Programs at Berry Sarah Egerer said the Gilman scholarship is a valuable award, as it creates study abroad realities for students who might not otherwise be able to participate and it diversifies the study abroad community through supporting underrepresented majors and students in study abroad.
To be eligible to receive the Gilman Scholarship, the student must be in the process of applying for study abroad program in which they are eligible to receive academic credit. The student must also be a recipient of the Federal Pell Grant and work on a proposal for a project involving their study abroad experience that will promote the scholarship.
Berry sophomore Caleb Timmerman won his scholarship to study abroad in Europe. Grand Trunk Goods named Timmerman the honorable mention in their first ever Study Abroad Scholarship contest in which he received a $1,000 scholarship and $1,000 in outdoor living gear. Timmerman, of Fort Valley, Ga., is traveling this May to Switzerland, England, France, Italy and The Azores. In the three-minute video he submitted to the contest, he recounts travels he’s made with his mother to El Salvador and China both of which created not only cultural, but internal understanding for Timmerman.
“Every time it’s an incredible growing experience to be able to go into this incredibly different culture and experience how these people interact with each other so differently than we do here in America and there’s a lot of self-discovery that goes along with that and I know the Grand Trunk really believes that traveling can involve a lot of self-discovery,” he said.
Grand Trunk Ambassadors will be required to promote their experience via the Grand Trunk blog. Grand Trunk will suggest topics for the student if requested, but the travelogue content will ultimately be in the control of the traveler. They encourage students to travel with an open mind, seeking new experience and a deeper connection with humankind and nature.
For more information or to view Timmerman’s video submission visit: http://www.grandtrunkgoods.com/2012/01/study-abroad-scholarship-winners/
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Article by Student Public Relations Assistants Allison Erdman and McKenzie Reeves
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