Five Hamilton juniors have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships for study abroad during the spring 2018 semester. Recipients are Mariani German, Byung Yo (Taylor) Kim, Emily Lei, Christina Plakas, and Emily Yong.
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.
Mariani German ’19, a Posse Foundation scholar from Salem, Mass., will study in Madrid through Hamilton’s Academic Year in Spain (HCAYS). An economics and Africana studies major, she is a member of the Levitt Center Social Innovation team and an office assistant for AV services. German has been a researcher for Refugees on the Move, and served on the TEDx Hamilton executive board.
Taylor (Byung Yo) Kim ’19, a public policy major from Avon, Conn., will study in Switzerland. She is currently on Hamilton’s Program in Washington, D.C., where she is a legislative intern for Senator Richard Blumenthal. Kim is a tour guide at Hamilton and outreach coordinator for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Last summer she interned for Everyday Democracy in Hartford, Conn.
Emily Lei ’19 will study in South Korea. A biology major from New York, N.Y., she is a lab technician in Hamilton’s Biology Department. She is a critical languages tutor and Connect Team Network associate for the Career Center. Lei is programming chair for the Asian Student Association and a mentor for the Multicultural Peer Mentoring Project.
Christina Plakas ’19, a sociology major from New York, N.Y., will also study in Spain through HCAYS. She spent the fall semester with the SIT program in Amann, Jordan, studying refugees, health, and humanitarian action. At Hamilton she has served as a coach with Let’s Get Ready, a program that helps high school students’ transition to college, a volunteer with the American Prison Writing Archive, and a peer advocate and co-president of Stop Traffik.
Emily Yong ’19, who will study in Sweden, is a neuroscience major from New York, N.Y. She has participated in the Levitt Leadership Institute, is a Discover Team peer advisor for Hamilton’s Career Center, tutored for Project SHINE, and is a member of the cross country and track teams. Last summer she conducted research on Type II Diabetes in mice and infertility with Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Jessica Fellmeth. Yong also tutored for Let’s Get Ready and was a mentor for the Multicultural Peer Mentoring Project.
