Keshayla Banks, a sophomore English education and Spanish major at Jackson State University, is one of the more than 250 American undergraduate students selected for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Banks received $4,000 to study abroad in Costa Rica this summer. The Gilman Scholarship is sponsored by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
“Studying abroad is a special experience for every student who participates. Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views but also adds an enriching social and cultural experience,” said retired Congressman Gilman. “It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”
Banks said, “I applied for the scholarship because I knew without it I wouldn’t be able to go abroad. I also know that not many African-Americans go abroad because they do not have the funds or they are afraid of going to another country. Ever since I’ve received the scholarship, my mother tells me pretty much every day, ‘You’re setting the standards for the rest of the family’.”
Banks will study in Costa Rica at the Instituto de Cultura y Lengua Costarricense (ICLC), a JSU Global-approved program. She will be there for two months studying Spanish language and culture, living with a host family and participating in volunteer activities in the community.
“This experience means the world to me. It will expose me to a new lifestyle that will forever change me. I’ve been interested in the Latin American culture since I was exposed to Spanish when I was 15 and now, nearly 5 years later, I have the opportunity to go to a Latin American country,” she said.
The Gilman Scholarship Program aims to diversify the kinds of students who study and intern abroad and the countries and regions where they go by offering awards to U.S. undergraduates who might otherwise not participate due to financial constraints.
Students interested in studying abroad are encouraged to contact JSU Global at 601-979-1611 for more information.