Eleven undergrads win scholarships to study abroad

Eleven UC Irvine students have received the Benjamin Gilman International Scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year. The program aims to encourage students to choose nontraditional study-abroad destinations, especially those outside Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It also supports students who have traditionally been underrepresented in study abroad, such as those with high financial need, community college students, those in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds and those with disabilities. The scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs. UC Irvine’s recipients and their destinations are: Jennifer Au (China), Chelsey Bithell (Egypt), Freda By (Thailand), Laura Delgado (Chile), Christopher Galeano (Spain), Rebeccah Hill (Singapore), Eileen Hsu (Japan), Elizabeth Kivorkian (Turkey), Diana Lieu (China), Gerardo Lopez (Spain) and Sanny Ng (Hong Kong). Their majors include biological sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, business economics and psychology & social behavior. Bithell won an additional award to study Arabic in Egypt. UC Irvine’s Study Abroad Center helps students select international academic programs, such as Semester at Sea and the University of California Education Abroad Program. Part of the Division of Undergraduate Education, the center also helps students identify scholarships to support their study-abroad experiences.