Lisa Yang ’17 and Aida Shadrav ’17 have been awarded Gilman International Scholarship Program awards for undergraduate study abroad. Yang plans to study in China through the Associated Colleges in China (ACC) program this summer and Shadrav will study in Spain this fall through the Hamilton College Academic Year in Spain.
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, offers grants for U.S. citizen undergraduate students to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, career-oriented internships abroad.
Such international exchange is intended to better prepare U.S. students to assume significant roles in an increasingly global economy and interdependent world. Gilman scholars receive up to $5,000 to apply toward their study abroad or internship program costs.
Yang, an economics and Chinese double major, is a Posse Foundation Scholar. This summer she will work as a China equity research intern at Whale Rock Capital Management in Boston and Beijing, conducting market research and analyzing trends in China to aid investments for a $910 million hedge fund. During Hamilton’s winter break she served as compensation and benefits intern at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Mass. Last summer Yang was research and development human resources intern at Biogen Idec, Cambridge, Mass.
At Hamilton Yang has been president and secretary of the Microfinance Club, where she led a team of 20 members to identify local investment opportunities while managing a $15,000 fund. She is a peer presenter for Hamilton’s Career and Life Outcomes Center, and an Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center social innovation intern. Yang is the daughter of Xiu Lian Liao of Quincy, Mass., and a graduate of North Quincy High School.
Majors: Chemistry and Hispanic Studies
Hometown: Wilmette, Ill.
High School: New Trier Township High School
Shadrav is a chemistry and Hispanic studies major at Hamilton. She is a Quantitative and Symbolic Reasoning Center tutor and a multivariable calculus grader.
Last summer she conducted biochemistry research at Hamilton with Professor Myriam Cotton, and also career-shadowed dentists and oral surgeons. Shadrav participated in Hamilton’s Alternative Spring Break in 2014, was a Judicial Board representative and member and president of Hamilton Health Careers Club. She received The Chemical Society and Joint Polymer Education Committee Award at 2015 Class & Charter Day.
She is the daughter of Reihaneh Ghoreishi of Skokie, Ill., and Reza Shadravan, and a graduate of New Trier Township High School (Winnetka, Ill.)
The Gilman International Scholarship Program highlights the importance of international study for undergraduates given the increasing global interdependence of economies and cultures in today’s world. As such, it seeks to eliminate one of the largest barriers for many study abroad candidates: the financial burden. The program also encourages students to pursue their studies or internships in areas of the world not conventionally selected as study abroad destinations (i.e. outside of Western Europe, Australia or New Zealand). Award recipients must complete a follow-up project that promotes international education to their universities or their home communities.
More than 9,000 applications are received each year and around 2,500 scholarships are awarded.
The Gilman International Scholarship Program was established through the International Opportunity Act of 2000 and is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. The program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
