Study Abroad Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

University Students Receive Federal Study Abroad Scholarship

University students from across the state will get the chance to study abroad with a federal scholarship.

Eight students from three West Virginia universities will receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad in 2024.

A student from Marshall University (MU), six students from West Virginia University (WVU) and a student from Shepherd University (SU) were among the 1,700 recipients of the national scholarship.

Tyler Farley of Marshall University will study in Argentina, while Molly Conrad of Shepherd University will study in Greece.

From WVU:

Ariana Burks will spend two weeks this May in Thailand studying the importance of gastrodiplomacy, the practice of using food to share culture. She was also awarded a Critical Language Scholarship in 2023 and spent last summer studying Arabic in Oman.
Helen Knight will also travel to Thailand in May.
Kaleb Cole will travel to Australia this fall to study computer science.
Emily Diaz already used her scholarship to participate in the Honors College-sponsored Cross-Cultural Explorations: Germany and France program during spring break.
Marcus Hahn traveled to Edinburgh and London this spring as part of United Kingdom: Health Sciences in Great Britain.
Stephanie Sarfo was awarded a scholarship to study in South Korea this summer.

Available to undergraduates who receive federal Pell Grant funding, the Gilman Scholarship enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad with up to $5,000 to apply towards their study abroad or internship program costs.

The Gilman program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Two WVU Students Receive Federal Scholarship For Language Studies

Two West Virginia University students will travel abroad this summer as recipients of the competitive U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship.

Ariana Burks and Matthew Kinzer, both West Virginia natives, will spend two months learning Arabic and Japanese, respectively.

Burks, a junior double majoring in international studies and geography with a minor in Arabic, will travel to Nizwa in Oman for her studies.

Kinzer, who graduated in May with degrees in finance and economics, will study in Okayama, Japan.

The Critical Language Scholarship program seeks to expand the number of Americans studying languages that are essential for the United States’ engagement with the world.

Burks and Kinzer were two of the 500 recipients this year out of a pool of more than 5,000 applicants from across the country.

Recipients serve as ambassadors representing the diversity of the United States and build lasting relationships with people in their host countries. They are also expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and to apply their skills in their future careers.

Shepherd University Enters International Exchange Agreement With Swiss Engineering School

The partnership with Zurich University of Applied Sciences' School of Engineering will allow for science, technology, and engineering students at both schools to study abroad, with the potential to cooperate on research projects and staff exchange in the future.

Shepherd University has entered a cooperation agreement with the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland.

The partnership with Zurich’s School of Engineering will allow for science, technology, and engineering students at both schools to study abroad, with the potential to cooperate on research projects and staff exchange in the future.

The exchange agreement makes studying abroad much more affordable. Samuel Greene, director for Shepherd University’s study abroad office, says lowering financial barriers is one of his goals.

“If you do an exchange agreement, then the students from Shepherd will pay exactly what they pay at Shepherd and almost all of their financial aid, including the West Virginia Promise Scholarship, which is pretty important for a lot of our local students, will apply,” Greene said.

Programs offered in English are available as part of the partnership, including multiple in engineering, as well as those in computer science, data science, aviation, and transportation.

This is the seventh international school Shepherd University has entered an agreement with, including schools in Mexico, Japan and Scotland. As a former study abroad student himself, Greene says these types of programs help students grow academically and personally.

“It stretches you as an individual, figuring out, ‘How do I operate in this different cultural context?’” Greene said. “And it helps you realize how similar people are in other places, despite the differences.”

Greene says he hopes to get the program running as early as this spring. Interested students can find information about the program at Zurich University’s website or by contacting Greene directly.

Study Abroad Program at Shepherd to Expand

Shepherd University was awarded almost $50,000 in federal grant money to expand its study abroad program.

Charles Nieman is the Director of International Affairs at Shepherd University. He says this grant from the U.S. Department of State will enhance the school’s study abroad program, switching it from part-time to full-time.

This means students who want to study abroad through Shepherd will have a better chance at studying for longer periods instead of just four or six weeks.

“We’ll be able to reach more students and encourage them to think about a semester abroad; think about even an academic year abroad, and as we develop partnerships with other universities, those experiences will all be credit bearing,” Nieman explained.

Shepherd is one of only 18 colleges and universities across the country nationally awarded the Capacity Building Grant for Study Abroad.

Shepherd is also working on establishing exchange agreements with Mexico, Japan, Turkey, Scotland, and Cyprus. Shepherd is also pursuing music and theater study abroad opportunities in Cuba.

Shepherd University Exploring Study Abroad in Cuba

Shepherd University may be opening its doors to a music and theater study abroad opportunity in Cuba.

Shepherd University and the Contemporary American Theater Festival are hosting Norge Espinosa Mendoza this week – a well-known poet, playwright, actor, and LGBT activist from Cuba.

Mendoza is active in the international art and theater world and is partnering with the School of Arts in Havana, Cuba, to encourage educational exchanges with the United States.

Mendoza says Shepherd is ideal for the program because of its theater and music studies. He says he hopes plans for the exchange begin this year.

“Exchange is always useful if you’re doing it in the right way,” he explained, “and I think that it could be very helpful to know in Cuba that this university exists and that we can do something together and open a new gate.”

Cuba is well-known for its music, art, and theater scene. In July 2015, Cuba and the United States restored diplomatic relations after being severed in 1961.