Trio of undergrads win prestigious Gilman scholarships

Three William & Mary students have won competitive, merit-based scholarships to study abroad.

Nayla Bonilla-Mendez '28 won a Gilman Scholarship to study in Chile.

Three William & Mary students have been awarded prestigious Gilman Scholarships to study abroad this year.

The program, named for the late Congressman Benjamin A. Gilman, expands access to study-abroad opportunities by alleviating financial barriers to travel. Gilman chaired the Committee on International Relations during his 30-year tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives before his retirement in 2003. The scholarships are funded by Congress and administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

The competitive, merit-based scholarships award outstanding American students up to $5,000, with additional funding available to students pursuing credit-bearing academic studies or career-oriented internships abroad. There is a preference for STEM-related work or the study of certain critically needed languages.

Since the program's inception in 2003, 64 William & Mary students have been selected for Gilman scholarships. The program is open only to federal Pell Grant recipients.

This year's recipients from William & Mary are Nayla Bonilla-Mendez '28, Thelma Kestner '29 and Shannon Ohara Wiora '27.

Bonilla-Mendez will study in Chile this fall. A public health major, she is working this summer with the Fairfax County Health Department to prepare for work in Chile focused on interactions with indigenous communities and traditional healing practices.

"Learning how different societies address health inequities will broaden my perspective as a future public health professional," Bonilla-Mendez said.

Kestner is already in Vilnius, Lithuania, this summer, learning Russian, having received an award to study a critically needed language.

Wiora, who is majoring in neuroscience, will head to Heidelberg, Germany, where her assignment will focus on the principles and applications of molecular and clinical imaging.

"Through an experiential learning approach, I will engage with experts at the German Cancer Research Center, BASF and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy," Wiora said. "These collaborations will allow me to directly apply imaging theory across clinical, industrial and physical science settings."

The program's mission is to develop future American leaders with career skills and international networks which will ultimately advance U.S. national security and economic prosperity. These study-abroad opportunities equip Gilman Scholars with international experience, global networks and enriching social and cultural experiences.

Susan Corbett, Communications Specialist

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