Nine UR Students Awarded Competitive Gilman Scholarships to Study Abroad Around the World; Most Students in UR's History

Editor's Note: This release was updated Aug. 6 to reflect the correct internship location of one of the students highlighted below. 

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Nine University of Richmond students received Gilman scholarships to support their study abroad experiences in 2019. Nine Gilman Scholars is the most in UR’s history, with the previous record being six in 2018.

The students include:

Kennedy Aldrich, a junior from Ormond Beach, Florida, will complete a health, culture, and development project in Cape Town, South Africa. Aldrich is double majoring in healthcare studies and philosophy, politics, economics, and law, with a focus on politics.

Azin Bahari, a senior biology major from Gaithersburg, Maryland, is studying abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo.

Dominique Cressler, a senior from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, participated in the Amideast program in Amman, Jordan. Cressler is double majoring in Arabic Studies and Global Studies: Middle East Studies.

Ayele J. d'Almeida, a senior from Bloomington, Minnesota, is completing a summer internship in England with Common Purpose, a not-for-profit organazation. She is a leadership studies and political science double major.

Madelyn Hair, a junior biology major from Boyertown, Pennsylvania, will participate in a marine biology program through the School for Field Studies in Turks & Caicos.

Jonathan Huang, a junior from Portland, Oregon, will complete a health and community program on globalization, culture, and care in three locations: South Africa, Brazil, and India.

Grace Kiernan, a junior from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, who is double majoring in English and political science, will study politics and political history in Madrid, Spain.

Ahkar Phyo, a senior from Falls Church, Virginia, who majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology, participated in a “Summer in Seville Academics and Athletics” program in Spain where he learned intermediate Spanish.

Maiana Russell, a junior psychology major from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will travel to Santiago, Chile, to study cultural identity and social justice issues. She will also complete an internship focusing on human rights issues of indigenous peoples in Chile. 

Bahari, Cressler, and d'Almeida have completed or are currently completing their Gilman experiences. Learn more in this previous media release.

“Gilman Scholarships are wonderful opportunities for our students to marry their academic interests with the necessary financial support to study abroad,” said Dana Kuchem, director of the Office of Scholars and Fellowships. “These scholarships are competitive, and University of Richmond students are compelling applicants.”

More than 65 percent of University of Richmond students complete a study abroad experience before graduating. 

University of Richmond has had 33 Gilman Scholars since the program started in 2001.

###

Learn more about the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.