On Thursday, April 20, Isis Thomas, a sophomore Chemistry major at Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), was announced a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International (Gilman) Scholarship. The scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, will fund Thomas’ participation in the US-Brazil International Research Experience for Students (IRES) Program, where she will study analytical applications of nanomaterials and microfluidic devices. 

According to a program officer within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, “The U.S. Department of State sponsors and oversees the Gilman International Scholarship Program as part of a larger U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and interning abroad.” Thomas’ scholarship was one of 960 awarded out of a pool of more than 3,970 applications. 

Receiving the Gilman Scholarship is one of many academic accolades for Isis Thomas, who was recently recognized multiple times for scholastic achievement during SAU’s spring honors convocation ceremony. “I am extremely blessed and excited to receive such a prestigious opportunity to study abroad, and I cannot wait for this summer. I’m very excited about taking my first international trip and seeing the historic sites in Brazil,” stated Thomas. 

SAU, now in its sesquicentennial year, looks to increase the number of study abroad opportunities for students in the coming years. The Dr. Thelma Johnson Roundtree Academic Enrichment Foundation, which was recently gifted $5,000 by WTVD ABC11, was launched in 2016. The foundation’s goals are to provide financial support for students studying abroad, and to provide stipends to students who take unpaid summer positions related to international studies or global education.