Recently, International Business student, Ain Richardson, was bestowed some recognition and encouragement in pursuing her studies. Ms. Richardson was awarded a travel grant through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program to study in China during the Spring 2010 term.

The Gilman program offers grants for undergraduate students of limited financial means to pursue studies abroad. Ideally, the organization aims to support students who have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad programs, including students with high financial need, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities. To be eligible, an applicant must be receiving a Federal Pell Grant, and plan to study abroad for at least four weeks in one country during the fall, spring, or winter terms. (Summer-only programs are not eligible.)

During this past semester, Ms. Richardson has been studying at Nanjing (or Nanda) University, through the College Consortium of International Studies (CCIS) Program. A student of the Chinese language since her first semester in CSI, Ms. Richardson’s ultimate career goal is to work for an international firm in the world’s largest market. As she noted recently, “If it wasn’t for the Gilman Scholarship none of this would have been able to come about. My drive to learn the Chinese language has increased tenfold and it has become not something I just want to learn but something I feel I need to learn.”

To learn more about award opportunities such as the Gilman International Scholarships, please visit the College of Staten Island Career and Scholarship Center online or contact Dr. Geoffrey Hempill, Scholarship and Fellowship Coordinator, at 718.982.2301.