UNH Today

Eight UNH students will set out for global destinations this spring as recipients of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, immersing themselves in cultures and studying in locales as far flung as Tanzania and the Gold Coast of Australia.

The Gilman scholarship provides awards to Pell grant-eligible students who are studying or interning abroad for credit. In 2021, the U.S. State Department recognized UNH as a top producer of Gilman Scholars in the country as part of the 20th anniversary of the program.

This year’s recipients are Daisy Burns ’23, Reilly Gray ’23, Klara Lee ’23, Oriah Milne ’23, Bianca German ’24, Rachel Youngcourt ’24, Sarah Grace Barba ’25 and Julie Mott ’25.

Burns, an economics and sustainability dual major from Sanbornton, New Hampshire, will be studying human-wildlife conflict and environmental conservation and conducting research in National Parks throughout Tanzania. Though the school she will be working with is located in Moyo Hill, the group she is with will also be traveling as part of the program.

The Gilman scholarship made such an opportunity a reality for Burns, and she said she is also excited to be part of the national network of Gilman scholars and to have access to all the opportunities the network provides.

“I’m most looking forward to seeing the incredible wildlife in Tanzania,” Burns says. “I’m excited to be able to have this experience in college, and I’m sure it will shape my career trajectory.”

Gray, a communication sciences and disorders major from Barnstead, New Hampshire, will be studying at the University of Newcastle in Australia, taking elective courses while planning to be active in the university’s speech pathology program that includes an on-site stuttering clinic.

“This scholarship will allow me to fully take advantage of the opportunities that studying abroad has to offer,” Gray says. “I am excited to make positive relationships with my peers and professors, learn about Australian culture and explore a different part of the world.”

Milne, a human development and family studies major with a minor in anthropology from Dover, New Hampshire, is studying at Bond University on the Gold Coast of Australia, enrolling in courses that fulfill requirements in both her major and minor, including a week-long island excursion to Stradbroke Island, where students will collect data on the wildlife and plants living along the coastline.

She chose Bond University because of its size – “I wanted a small community to live in while living in the bustling up-and-coming Gold Coast," she says – and proximity to the beach, and she said she hopes to scuba dive and snorkel when she has free time.

“Receiving this scholarship will assist my financial situation significantly and allow me to focus fully on the academic and cultural opportunities before me rather than on financial worries,” Milne, who has already begun classes, says. “I love meeting new people everywhere I go. I am grateful to be immersed here.”

German, an English teaching major from Somersworth, New Hampshire, will be taking classes at the University de Pablo Olavide in Seville, Spain, completing her environmental, technology and society discovery, her historical perspectives discovery and a pair of Spanish classes as part of a Spanish minor.

German says the Gilman scholarship took the financial worry out of the study abroad opportunity and that she hopes to continue improving her writing skills through the experience.

“I am most excited to expand my knowledge in a language I already speak and be able to use that skill in my future classrooms,” German says. “I am also excited to be able to explore a country that I have never seen – and be able to explore it with new people.”

Youngcourt, a dual business administration (with an accounting option) and sustainability major from Clayton, Delaware, will be studying at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, within its Nijmegen School of Management.

There she will be exploring a variety of topics, including courses that focus on the intersection of gender, the environment and business, as well as the information decision-making process that businesses go through to ensure sustainability. One course she is excited to take focuses on Dutch history, politics and culture.

“I am intrigued by the challenge of studying in the different academic structure that sets many European universities apart from those in the United States and know it will lead to academic and personal growth by the end of the semester. I have a lot of genuine excitement about how I will change by the end of the experience,” Youngcourt says. “Becoming a Gilman scholar also means joining a wonderful network of current and past scholars. Being part of this community will allow me to build countless valuable connections with peers around the country and will open the door to future additional opportunities through the Gilman program.”

Youngcourt says she is also looking forward to learning about the sustainability initiatives present in the Netherlands and becoming part of the Dutch culture while also hopefully taking advantage of the chance to visit other parts of Europe during her stay.

Barba is a classics and anthropology major with a minor in Asian studies and linguistics. Originally from San Jose, California, she moved to New Hampshire when she was six and currently resides in Rye. She will be studying at the University of Lorenzo Di Medici, the international institute of Florence, Italy, where she will be learning Italian and pursuing her classics major (which encompasses the ancient culture, philosophy, art and history of the Romans, Egyptians, Italians and Florence.)

This will be Barba’s first experience outside of the United States, and she says she is looking forward to the learning opportunities, as well as a chance to enjoy things like the food and the language.

“I now have the ability to immerse myself in a completely different culture than I grew up in,” Barba says. “I have this fury of passion for learning about people’s stories, which helps me grow as a person. The Gilman scholarship has provided me with the means to pursue my passion.”

Lee, a finance major from Manchester, New Hampshire, will be studying in the United Kingdom.

Mott, a psychology major from Cumberland Center, Maine, will be studying in Italy.

Interested in pursuing a Gilman scholarship? Learn more about this and other opportunities available through the Office of National Fellowships.