Nine UTEP Students Receive Prestigious Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad
Cohort includes first-ever Gilman-McCain scholar
EL PASO, Texas (Feb. 26, 2024) – Nine undergraduate students at The University of Texas at El Paso have secured the opportunity to study abroad through the U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, one of the nation’s most prestigious scholarship programs. The group constitutes the largest number of UTEP Gilman Scholars for the fall application cycle in nearly a decade — and includes the first-ever recipient of the distinguished Gilman-McCain Scholarship.
“We are overjoyed and full of pride for this group of students who have distinguished themselves among thousands nationwide for this scholarship,” said Catie McCorry-Andalis, Ed.D., vice president for student affairs. “Our students’ selection by the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship program is a testament to the fact that UTEP students can compete with any student nationwide; a UTEP education transforms lives.”
The congressionally funded Gilman Program broadens the U.S. student population studying and interning abroad by providing scholarships to outstanding undergraduate Pell Grant recipients.
This year’s nine Gilman Scholars, which collectively received $38,500 in scholarship funds, are:
- Ania Fierro, a senior English and American literature major who will study in Italy
- Annica Henry, a junior political science major who will study in Germany
- Karen Lopez Macias, a junior ecology and evolutionary biology major who will study in South Korea
- Laura Molina, a senior mechanical engineering major who will study in the Czech Republic
- Argentina Mosso, a sophomore finance major who will study in Hungary
- Claire Patin, a junior international business major who will study in Spain
- Bryan Perez, a senior biological sciences major who will study in Spain
- Fernanda Soto, a senior biological sciences major who will study in South Korea
- Israel Villalobos, a junior civil engineering major who will study in the Czech Republic
“This group of Gilman Scholars is outstanding in several ways; when you put a UTEP student up against others across the nation, they do stand out,” said Judy Moore, an associate director in the Office of International Programs and Study Abroad. “Out of 24 UTEP students who applied in October, nine were selected to receive the award, a higher selection rate than the overall national average.”
Annica Henry has the added recognition of being UTEP’s first ever Gilman-McCain Scholar. The Gilman-McCain Scholarship, named after the late Sen. John S. McCain from Arizona, provides awards of $5,000 for child and spousal dependents of active or activated United States military personnel to study or intern abroad.
Henry said, “I come from a family of service members, so to be receiving this award is an amazing reminder to my mother that her sacrifices that keep her children and this country free aren't going unnoticed. Go Army!”
For Israel Villalobos, a first-generation college student, being named a Gilman Scholar is a testament to his resilience.
“I enrolled in an engineering trade school at 16 and by the time I was 18 years old I was juggling my job in construction, my studies, and my life, eventually leading me to become a college dropout,” Villalobos said. “During COVID I resumed my studies, turned around my GPA of 1.76 to 3.56, and got named to the Dean’s List. For me, the Gilman Scholarship represents the realization of a dream that seemed unattainable and is a shared accomplishment for my family and those who always believed in me.”
The next deadline to apply for a Gilman Scholarship is March 7. UTEP’s Office of International Programs and Study Abroad will host Gilman Scholarship interest sessions and essay reviews during the spring semester. Students can RSVP to attend via the office’s MineTracker events page: https://minetracker.utep.edu/organization/oipsa/events
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 172 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on February 27, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published February 27, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
