DURHAM, N.H. -- Three students in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of New Hampshire have been named the 2011 B. Thomas Trout Scholarship recipients. The students will receive scholarships to be used toward their study abroad program expenses in the 2011-12 academic year.

The 2011 B. Thomas Trout Scholarship recipients are Audrey Hansen, a political science major from Albany; Mary Ross, a French major from Weare; and John DeGennaro, an anthropology major from Ashland.

Hansen will use her scholarship to support her studies in UNH's Granada Spain Study Abroad Program. "As the world today is smaller than ever, I think that it is vital that students have experience with foreign nations and cultures," she says. "Tomorrow's leaders need to know firsthand that American culture isn't the only culture out there, and what better way to learn it than to study abroad?"

Ross, who plans to be a French teacher, will use her scholarship to support study abroad in Dijon, France, during her junior year. "Having the chance to spend a full academic year in Dijon, France, is like a childhood dream come true, one that will be put to good use in my future academics and career," she says.

DeGennaro will use his scholarship to travel to Belize to participate in UNH's Archaeological Field School. "I hope to spend my life searching for truths about the past and giving a voice to a story that may be forgotten if no one searches for it. This project in Belize, which focuses on the ancient Maya, would be a way for me to start this journey," DeGennaro says.

The B. Thomas Trout Scholars Fund was established in honor of Political Science Professor and Associate Dean B. Thomas Trout. Throughout his career, Trout actively and tirelessly promoted international studies as a vital part of the college curriculum. He was equally dedicated to the development of study abroad programs for undergraduates, convinced that expanding the range of international study opportunities for American college students was integral to their understanding of a complicated world. The fund supports academically outstanding College of Liberal Arts students, allowing them to participate in a UNH-managed study abroad program in the college.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

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