ESS Student Named as a Gilman Scholar

This article was first published on news.nd.edu.

Eight University of Notre Dame students have been awarded spring Gilman Scholarships to study abroad, for a total of 15 students so far for the 2020-21 academic year. Two Notre Dame students have been named alternates for the award. Winners whose study abroad programs have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic can defer the award to a later semester or decline it. Either way, they remain Gilman Scholars.

In applying for the scholarship, the winners and alternates worked closely with the Flatley Center for Undergraduate Scholarly Engagement (CUSE), which promotes the intellectual development of Notre Dame undergraduates through scholarly engagement, research, creative endeavors and the pursuit of fellowships

“Everyone put in hard work despite the tenuous circumstances of study abroad, and I am very happy to say that 90 percent of our applicants received recognition,” said Elise Rudt, national fellowships program coordinator with CUSE. “It was a pleasure to work with them throughout the application process, and as the summer/fall application has just opened, I am excited to support the next round of students in their pursuit of the Gilman Scholarship.”

She gave special thanks to Samantha Juarez of Notre Dame International “for assisting with outreach and acting as an additional consultant to applicants.”

Notre Dame set a record for Gilman Scholars last year with 23. The previous record, 15, was set during the 2018-19 academic year. Summer Gilman Scholars, which will count toward this year’s total, will be announced later this spring.

The spring winners are:

• Alena Coleman (class of 2022) — English and Spanish double major with a minor in education, schooling and society.
• Alvaro Carrillo (class of 2022) — accountancy and political science double major.
• Amaya Medeiros (class of 2022) — psychology major with a Greek and Roman civilization supplemental major and a minor in history.
• Carlondrea “Lala” Petty (class of 2022) — science pre-professional major with a supplemental major in Spanish.
• Diego Silva Cruz (class of 2022) — sociology major and pre-health studies supplemental major. 
• Nicole Ortiz (class of 2022) — psychology major and Chinese minor. 
• Omar Magallanes (class of 2023) — neuroscience major.  
• Yadviga Tischenko (class of 2022) — electrical engineering major with a minor in Korean.

The alternates are Kayla Joseph-Ollivierre and Mary Biese, both class of 2022. 

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Gilman Scholarship is a grant program that supports students of limited means to study or intern abroad. Students receive as much as $5,000 in financial support, plus as much as $3,000 more for the study of a critical language.

For more information on this and other scholarship opportunities, visit cuse.nd.edu.

Contact: Erin Blasko, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-4127, eblasko@nd.edu