Gilman International Scholarship Program to study abroad

University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo students David Senitz Ahseln and David Meyer were selected for the Fall 2011 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program to study abroad.Ahseln was awarded $5,000 and will study at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru in Lima, Peru for the entire academic year. He hopes to increase his fluency in the Spanish language and have a better understanding of the culture to contribute to his interest in the field of linguistics. His plans are to build a network with Quechua speakers to help with the revitalization and preservation efforts of indigenous languages and cultures and share that with the UH Hilo community upon his return.

Meyer is a liberal studies major who will spend one year at Chung Ang University in Seoul, South Korea. He was awarded $4,500 and plans to study the Korean language and culture specifically folklore. While not in the classroom, he will be an active member of the I <3 Ukulele Club where he will participate in South Korea’s first national ukulele festival. Through his involvement in the club, he will also be conducting ethnographic fieldwork as part of his senior capstone project.

The program aims to encourage students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, and to support students who have been traditionally under-represented in study abroad, including but not limited to students in under-represented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, and students with disabilities. The program also helps to support one of the priority goals of the new UH Hilo Campus Strategic Plan by promoting multicultural fluency through exchange opportunities.