Martin Becomes First Manhattan College Student to Receive Gilman Scholarship

Jenifer Martin ’17 is one of 800 students from 355 American colleges and universities selected to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Martin is the first Manhattan College student to receive the award, which enables her to study in Madrid, Spain during the spring 2016 semester.

Martin will receive up to $5,000 to apply toward her study abroad program costs. The Gilman Scholarship program aims to diversify the students who study and intern abroad, as well as their destinations. Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant from two- and four-year institutions who will be studying abroad or participating in a career-oriented international internship for academic credit are eligible to apply.

Martin is an English major with minors in Spanish and psychology. During her time at Manhattan, she has worked with international students in New York City as a conference assistant and as a cultural ambassador with ZUMA Education. Last year, she participated in a Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience (L.O.V.E) trip to Duran, Ecuador. Martin has also volunteered at the Concourse House Day Care Center, for God’s Love We Deliver, and recently completed an internship at Advocates for Children of New York.

Scholarship benefactor Gilman retired in 2002 after serving in the House of Representatives for 30 years and chairing the House Foreign Relations Committee.

“Study abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views, but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community,” he said.