Prestigious Gilman scholarships help two students with international education plans
Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017
MANHATTAN — Two Kansas State University students have received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad.
Madison Beauchamp, senior in animal sciences and industry, Goddard, will study at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. McKenna Parker, senior in chemical sciences and nutritional sciences, Blue Springs, Missouri, will study at Christ University through the University Studies Abroad Consortium in Bangalore, India.
The Gilman Scholarship Program awards scholarships up to $5,000 to help students prepare for a global economy by studying abroad.
Beauchamp is a member of the university's Pre-Veterinary Medicine Club and the National Honor Society. She cares for recuperating animals and assists veterinary medicine students at the university's Veterinary Health Center. She regularly volunteers at Manhattan's Sunset Zoo, competes in intramural tennis competitions, and enjoys drawing, hiking and horseback riding. In Thailand, she will volunteer at the Wildlife Friends Foundation's Elephant Sanctuary, where she will train elephants and assist with their care. She also will volunteer at an orphanage through the Friends for All Children Foundation, where she will care for babies and toddlers.
Beauchamp has received the university's Goss Discovery Scholarship for education abroad. She is a 2014 graduate of Eisenhower High School in Goddard and is the daughter of Howie Beauchamp, Wichita, and Rexanne Kerschner, Goddard.
Parker is member of the Nutrition and Health Professions CAT Community. She participated in an international health trip to Croatia with the College of Human Ecology, and joined a delegation of Kansas State University students who attended a conference on white privilege. She organized a DKMS bone marrow registry drive and started a sustainable food project in the Staley School of Leadership Studies. She assisted Brian Lindshield, associate professor of food, nutrition, dietetics and health, and his graduate students with two research projects: one investigating the effects of tannins on iron bioavailability, and one studying formulations of fortified blended foods for world food aid products.
Parker has received the Diamond Powercat Award from Kansas State University's Housing and Dining Services, and the Haymaker Hall "Unsung Hero" Award. She is a 2014 graduate of Blue Springs High School and is the daughter of Jana Parker, Blue Springs.
The Gilman Scholarship Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. The bureau fosters mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of other countries to promote friendly, sympathetic and peaceful relations.
