K-State students awarded Gilman scholarship for education abroad experiences
MANHATTAN — Six Kansas State University students have been selected for the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study internationally.
Recipients include Cassandra Rodriguez, junior in communication sciences and disorders, Garden City; Ainslie Markle, senior in mechanical engineering and French, and Caitlin Snyder, senior in animal sciences and industry-pre-veterinary option, both from Manhattan; Shelby Thornton, senior in architecture, Sublette; and Amanda Smith, senior in human development and family science, Wichita. A sixth recipient declined to be identified.
The Gilman scholarship provides up to $5,000 to help U.S. undergraduate students at two-year or four-year colleges or universities participate in study abroad programs worldwide. Gilman scholarships are congressionally funded and established by the International Academic Opportunity Act of 2000.
Rodriguez received the scholarship for a service abroad experience this summer in the Dominican Republic through K-State's International Service Team program. A first-generation student, she is a member of Halo, Latinas Unidas Poderosas Educadoras, or LUPE, and Called to Greatness. Rodriguez is also a recipient of the Corliss Lamont Humanist Community Service Scholarship. The daughter of Jose Rodriguez, Los Angles, California, and Kristie Martinez, Garden City, she is a graduate of Garden City High School and Garden City Community College.
Markle received the Gilman to study at the University of Hertfordshire in England this fall. Markle is a member of Powercat Motorsports and International Buddies. She is a graduate of Manhattan High School.
Snyder will use her scholarship to study the care of rescued exotic animals in South Africa. She is a member of the K-State Honors Program and Phi Eta Sigma, the national freshmen honor society. She has received the Vanier Family Scholarship, A.W. Michael and William Michael Scholarship, Elmer and Margaret A. Gardner Memorial Scholarship, Foundation Plus Scholarship and the Richard and Joyce Brown International Travel Award. She is the daughter of Scott and Trisha Snyder, Manhattan.
Thornton will use her Gilman in spring 2023 to study in Orvieto, Italy, with the College of Architecture, Planning & Design's Italian studies program. Active at K-State, Thornton participates in APDPro, the Dean's Student Advisory Council for APDesign and the Wefald Hall Council. She also was a residential learning assistant for the APDesign CAT Community. Her honors include the Bowman Award for Excellence in Architectural Design, the Diamond Powercat Award from the Little Apple chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary and learning assistant of the month. A graduate of Sublette High School, she is the daughter of Kent and Alishcia Thornton, Sublette.
Smith received the Gilman scholarship to perform service abroad this summer in Gambia, Africa, through K-State's International Service Team program. She is a member of Audacity and serves as vice president for the K-State chapter of International Justice Mission. As an undergraduate researcher, Smith worked with the Healthy Adolescent and Adult Relationships Research Team lab. She is the daughter of Scott Smith, Wichita, and Denell Smith, Linn Creek, Missouri, and a graduate of Wichita Northwest High School.
Interested students can contact the Office of Education Abroad or the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships to learn more about the Gilman opportunity. The next national deadline will be Oct. 6. The Office of Education Abroad will offer a virtual information session at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31. Register online to attend the session.
