Kaleigh Wilson will study abroad in Japan in 2021 thanks, in part, to the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship Program.

Wilson, a media and film studies major and Birmingham-Southern junior, received $5,000 toward their studies after applying for the Gilman scholarship. They applied in fall 2020 through the Sklenar Center for International Programs, an office that helps BSC students find the right scholarship and study abroad opportunities each year.

“Looking into the scholarship,” Wilson says, “I noticed it would also cover a good amount of the study abroad cost, as well as give me good connections for the future.”

During the fall 2021 term, Wilson plans to attend Kansai Gaidai University in Hirakata, Osaka, Japan. BSC has a partnership with Kansai Gaidai, creating an exchange program that allows students to have affordable global experiences. Opportunities like the Gilman Scholarship, in addition to exchange programs, help make travel and global study even easier.

“The Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship allows Pell-eligible students to pursue their dreams of study abroad or global internships,” says Anne Ledvina, associate director of the Sklenar Center. “Through study abroad or virtual global experiences, students learn cross-cultural skills by interacting with people from other countries and making life-long friendships with students and learning from professors and mentors from around the world.”

Wilson will take classes abroad that directly impact their media and film studies courses at BSC.

“I have always enjoyed Japanese styles of entertainment and culture,” Wilson says. “When looking through the different study abroad options, I saw that Kansai Gaidai offered classes in film, and it sparked my interest.”

Gilman scholars like Wilson, along with students involved in other international programs, will also join a network of Institute of International Education alumni with connections all over the U.S. and the globe. And during the pandemic, the Sklenar Center has introduced a variety of virtual global experiences for students who are not able to travel.

“Going to abroad has always been a dream of mine, and I can experience more of the world than what I can in Alabama,” Wilson says.

Learn more about BSC’s study abroad options at bsc.edu/studyabroad or contact Anne Ledvina at [email protected].