Six Students Win Prestigious Gilman Scholarships

01/30/2024

College News, Student and Alumni News

Macaulay Honors College congratulates Rabia Akram ’24 (Hunter College), Zara Aziz ’25 (City College), Valeria Herreros ’25 (Baruch College),  Saima Kayes  ’24 (Baruch College), Jeslyn Mei (Hunter College), James Zou ’24 (City College), and Awestaa Zia ’24 (Hunter College) for winning Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships.

The Gilman Scholarship Program prepares U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. Students are chosen for their academic success, talent, and commitment to making an impact both abroad and back home in the US.

Zara Aziz will be studying abroad at the University of Porto, Portugal over the upcoming Winter semester pursuing a program focused on the history, people and culture of Portugal.  Zara is pursuing a BA in Political Science.

Rabia Akram is a Human Biology major and Asian American Studies minor at Hunter College. With the Gilman Scholarship and the Critical Language Award, she planned to study Arabic at the Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan; however, the program was unfortunately canceled this year. She is also a Speakers and Programming Curator at TEDxCUNY, helping individuals from diverse backgrounds develop talks that resonate with a wide audience.

Valeria Herreros is currently studying abroad at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Madrid, Spain. She is majoring in Digital Marketing. At UC3M, she’s taking a mix of classes ranging from market research, international business, Spanish art, and philosophy. In Madrid, she’ll combine her eye for art and penchant for expression, as those skills are essential in the field of marketing.

Jeslyn Mei is a Psychology with a Concentration in Behavioral Neuroscience major at Hunter College. She will study Japanese Film & Culture in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan.

James Zou a Computer Science major at City College, studied abroad in Berlin during the winter semester. Thanks to the Gilman Scholarship he had the opportunity to study Entrepreneurship through CIEE Berlin.

Awestaa Zia, whose focus is Economics and Urban Studies, hopes to pursue a career in urban planning. She had planned to serve in the Middle East and is deferring her travel.

The Gilman Program aims to encourage students to choose non-traditional study and intern destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award to defray eligible study or intern abroad costs. Over 2,700 scholarships of up to $5,000 will be awarded this academic year for U.S. citizen undergraduates to study or intern abroad. MORE

 

Pictured above, from left: Rabia Akram, Valeria Herreros, James Zou, Jeslyn Mei, and Zara Aziz.