Three Student win Gilman Scholarships for Study Abroad

Three Kansas State University students Nathen Lippert, Andover; Juan Carlos Mendoza, Garden City; and Sophia Ford, Wilson have received the spring 2011 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship.The Gilman Scholarship Program, sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, provides up to $5,000 for undergraduate students to study abroad. More than 850 scholarships will be awarded for the spring 2011 semester.The three students bring K-State's total to 28 Gilman Scholars since the scholarship was first awarded in 2002, said James Hohenbary, K-State assistant dean for nationally competitive scholarships.In their applications the students had to propose a follow-up project for promoting the Gilman Scholarship and study abroad upon their return. Students who gain international experiences are able to promote that experience as they share it with others and exercise the expanded perspective it offers, Hohenbary said.

When they return to K-State, they will bring what they observed and learned from their experience back into classroom discussions and extracurricular conversations,Hohenbary said. Awards that facilitate this kind of learning and sharing help to enrich the university as a whole.
Lippert, a senior in construction science and management, will study in Prague, Czech Republic. He is the chief estimator for K-State's student chapter of the Associated General Contractors. Lippert graduated from Andover High School and is the son of James and Mary Lippert, Andover.Mendoza, senior in hotel and restaurant management, will study at the University of Hertfordshire in England. He is also pursuing a minor in business administration. Mendoza is vice president of the Multicultural Student Honor Society, and has been involved in Pinnacle Honor Society and Eta Sigma Delta International Hospitality Management Society. Mendoza has received a Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association scholarship and a Hispanic Scholarship Fund 2010 award. Originally from Mexico City, Mendoza graduated from La Serna High School in Whittier, Calif., and studied at Garden City Community College. He is the son of Jorge and Rosa Mendoza, Garden City.

I see this as a huge opportunity for me,Mendoza said.I believe that breaking out of my comfort zone and exploring new areas outside my realm will help me grow as an individual and gain more self-confidence and self-reliance.Ford, a junior in geology and political science, will study at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, Iceland. At K-State, Ford is the community affairs chair of Students for Environmental Action and the vice president of the African Studies Student Association. A Wilson High School graduate, She is the daughter of Howard Ford, Cedar Vale, and Allison Ford, Wilson.