Seven undergraduates have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for foreign language and cultural study abroad, a record number of the grants awarded in a single year to Dartmouth students.
And an eighth student was awarded a Boren Scholarship, but is turning it down for another academic opportunity overseas.
The Gilman scholarships are awarded by the U.S. Department of State to support students who "will return to communities across the United States with the global networks and foreign language skills needed to support U.S. economic and national security interests," according to the Gilman website.
Two of the Gilman recipients also received the program's Critical Need Language Award, an additional competitive grant sponsored by the State Department.
"It has been incredibly exciting and rewarding to see a growth in our number of Gilman applicants and recipients—a true testament to the liberal arts curriculum and study abroad culture at Dartmouth," says Christie Harner, assistant dean of faculty for fellowship advising.
The Gilman recipients this year are:
Iman Bakhshi '28
Bakhshi, a participant in the First Year Summer Enrichment Program for first-generation college students, is considering a major in biology with double minors in global health and Chinese. She has been admitted as a Chinese language student to study Chinese at the School of International Chinese Language Education of Beijing Normal University over the summer. Through the Gilman program, Bakhshi also received a Critical Need Language Award.
Najma Bore '27
Bore, a cognitive science major in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences with minors in international studies and global health, will be studying African and Caribbean languages and cultures with the African and African American Studies foreign studies program in Paris over the summer. "This program offers me a rare opportunity to explore the lived experiences of African and Caribbean diasporic communities in France, a perspective I found to be absent from global studies programs. As someone who deeply values the importance of international perspectives, I am grateful for the opportunity to explore this further," Bore says.
Gideon Gruel '26
Gruel, a Hanlon Scholar, is double majoring in ancient history in the Department of Classics and the Department of Philosophy. He will take part in the Department of Classics' FSP program in Rome in the fall. "At Dartmouth, my courses and independent research projects focus on the intellectual and religious contests between early Christianity and Rome's peculiar polytheism, especially the history of religious intolerance and tolerance in the greater Roman world and the dynamics between its religious and political structures," says Gruel, who will explore Roman cultural history and the interaction with early Christian groups.
Enoch Li '27
Li, who also received a Critical Need Language Award, is a government and economics double major who also participated in the Tuck Business Bridge Program. He will join the Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages' language studies abroad program in Beijing over the summer. "Growing up, I straddled two worlds, speaking Chinese at home but primarily learning English at school. Yet, as the years passed, I became increasingly aware of the gaps in my language skills. Beyond personal and academic motivations, I am drawn to the program because China's role in global policy and economics makes fluency in Mandarin an invaluable skill for my career," Li says.
Chelsea Ott '27
Ott, a psychology major with minors in anthropology and physics, will be joining the Department of Religion's FSP in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the fall. "Studying abroad through the religion FSP in Edinburgh is an opportunity to grow in ways that will shape both my career and my understanding of the world. As a pre-med student, I've realized that medicine isn't just about biology and chemistry; it's also about understanding people—their beliefs, values, and how they make decisions about their health. Religion plays a huge role in that."
Tina Pan '28
Pan is a FYSEP student who is planning to double major in engineering and computer science. She will participate in the Aquincum Institute of Technology exchange program in Budapest, Hungary, sponsored by the Department of Computer Science and the Guarini Institute for International Education next spring. "As a first-generation, low-income student, I see this program as a transformative opportunity to explore Hungarian culture, which has always intrigued me. Participating in this program will allow me to seamlessly fulfill two of my computer science pillars while experiencing an enriching academic environment that aligns with my passion for technology from a different perspective," Pan says.
Andrew Pham '27
Pham, a biology major who also participates in the FYSEP program, will be joining the Department of Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages' Developing Vietnam FSP program in Ho Chi Minh City in the fall. "Developing Vietnam will offer me the rare chance to conduct fieldwork abroad. This is important to me, as someone who wants to professionally pursue academic research—not only to be well-versed in computational techniques but also to experience and learn the methods and ethics of data collection," Pham says.
Boren Award
In addition, Madeleine Shaw '25, a government major and a Russian area major in the Department of East European, Eurasian, and Russian Studies with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies has declined a fellowship for Arabic language studies in Jordan offered by the Boren Awards, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Language and National Security Education Office. Instead, Shaw plans to accept admission to a master's of philosophy program at the University of Cambridge.
Students interested in learning about scholarship opportunities can visit the Office of Fellowship Advising.