Recognition for Salem College Students

COASTAL CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

Samantha Johnston, a resident of Salem, NH, has enrolled in Coastal Carolina University.

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE

Stephen Lin of Salem, a first-year student at Gettysburg College was awarded a 1832 Founders Scholarship by the College. Gettysburg College recognizes students' academic achievement in high school by awarding merit scholarships. The 1832 Founder Scholarship goes to top-ranking applicants based upon their grade-point average, class rank, and SAT or ACT scores.

JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

Salem, NH resident, Jillian Keith, enrolled at James Madison University for the fall 2012 semester. Keith plans on majoring in management.

MERRIMACK COLLEGE

Joshua Goulet of Salem, NH was one of eleven Merrimack College students inducted into the College's first ever Pi Delta Phi National French Honor Society.

Goulet, a senior majoring in History and French was nominated in recognition of outstanding academic achievement in French language and literature.

ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY

The following local residents were among more than 1,100 students from Roger Williams University to receive their degrees during the University's Commencement ceremony held on May 19, 2012.

Kyle Barlow, a resident of Salem, NH, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History.

Katelyn Galvin, a resident of Salem, NH, received a Bachelor of Science degree in Management.

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-BOSTON

Cassandra Yergeau, a resident of Salem, NH, was among the close to 3,000 students from the University of Massachusetts Boston who made the Spring 2012 Dean's List.

UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

Five UNH students have received prestigious and competitive Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to fund study abroad trips in spring 2013. They are Jennifer Baker, Brianna Cole, Heather Diversi, Audrey Petteruti, and Kellie Shea. UNH has not seen this many Gilman winners in its history as an institution.

Gilman Scholarships provide up to $5,000 in financial support to students who are traveling abroad on university-approved programs that are four weeks or longer. To be eligible for a Gilman, a student must have financial need, as evidenced by being a Pell grant recipient.

The Gilman Scholarship requires that students commit to a "follow-on" project upon their return to the United States. These projects help advertise the benefits of study abroad and the Gilman program to the university and local communities.

Brianna Cole, a junior political science/international affairs major from Salem, will travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina, to study at the University of Belgrano. Her program in Argentine and Latin American Studies offers an early start option that will give her an additional month in Buenos Aires. During that first month, she will do intensive language study, preparing her to take content classes in Spanish. Cole noted that "Not only was I fortunate enough to win the Gilman, but my program (Academic Programs International, or API) gives Gilman winners an additional award up to $1,000 in matching funds." Her follow-on project will involve outreach to Spanish language students at UNH to describe the experience of studying in Latin America as compared to Spain (where Brianna has studied previously).

Gilman Scholarships are offered twice a year, with deadlines in October and March. In preparation for the October deadline, the director of the Office of National Fellowships, Jeanne Sokolowski, with the assistance of Cindy Mills, the assistant director of financial aid, contacted all UNH Pell grant recipients with general information on the scholarship. She also held several information sessions and worked one-on-one with students applying for the Gilman.

These five students also worked closely with the Center for International Education on choosing a program that was an excellent fit for their academic and professional plans, which is an essential factor in writing competitive applications for the Gilman. The center will continue its support to the Gilman winners through one-on-one advising, pre-departure orientation and reentry services-similar support that it gives to the approximately 25 percent of all UNH students who study abroad.

Two of the winners (Brianna Cole and Kellie Shea) are dual International Affairs (IA) majors. The IA program includes language proficiency, study and research abroad, and capstone project and presentation requirements. As Cole noted, "My regional focus and IA capstone will be in regard to Argentine and Latin American studies, so I am really excited to experience life in Argentina first hand." And Shea will begin research on her project, which examines the economic transition from the Soviet Union's planned economy to its capitalist economy, while in St. Petersburg.

The Gilman Program aims to increase the number and diversity of students studying abroad, including students studying in non-traditional countries, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand; students with diverse ethnic backgrounds; students from a diverse range of institutions; students engaged in non-traditional (for study abroad) fields of study, such as the sciences and engineering; and students with disabilities. For more information, visit http://www.iie.org/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program

The UNH Center for International Education supports campus-wide internationalization and student, faculty and staff engagement on the international level. Center responsibilities include:

• International Affairs Dual Major

• Study abroad

• Scholarship opportunities

• International seminars

• Faculty development