9 UK students earn Gilman Scholarships for education abroad

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Aug. 15, 2025) — Nine University of Kentucky students were awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to support their education abroad goals.

The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, gaining skills critical to the United States’ national security and economic competitiveness. The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern abroad programs worldwide.

Award recipients are chosen by a competitive selection process and must use the award — ranging from $100 to $5,000 — to defray the cost of tuition, room and board, books, local transportation, insurance and international airfare.

The congressionally funded scholarship is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education.

The UK recipients of the Gilman Scholarship include:

• Joshua Abebe, a sophomore finance major from Lexington, Kentucky, to study in England;
• Gray Howard, a junior management and marketing major from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to study in Spain;
• Ayusma Karki, a sophomore architecture major from Lexington, Kentucky, to study in Vietnam, Taiwan and Cambodia;
• Madison Mitchell, a senior premedicine neuroscience major from Yeaddiss, Kentucky, to study in the Netherlands;
• Emily Strahl, a senior architecture major from Madisonville, Kentucky, to study in Denmark;
• Sophia Wielawski, a senior predental, chemistry and Russian major and Lewis Honors College student from Fountain Run, Kentucky, to study in Poland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Estonia; and
• John Luke Wood, a junior Russian major and Lewis Honors College student from Nicholasville, Kentucky, to study in Armenia.

Two of UK’s recipients chose to remain anonymous.

Joshua Abebe said he is interested in exploring new cultures and career paths through UK’s Explore First: Careers, Cultures and Connections program.

“This scholarship will help me stand out when applying for jobs and internships because it shows I’ve taken the initiative to learn beyond the classroom,” Abebe said. “It also gives me more confidence to study or work abroad later, knowing I’ve already had a successful international experience.”

Abebe, a first-generation college student, is a member of the Finance Society, which focuses on careers in finance, investing and business. He is also part of the Student Philanthropy Board, which has helped him learn about volunteering, fundraising, and supporting campus projects/events.

Traveling abroad will help expand his comfort zone, Abebe said.

“I’m excited to see how people in London live, work, and think compared to here in Kentucky,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to visiting international businesses and learning how different careers can look around the world. This trip is a chance for me to grow personally, professionally and to meet new people who can open my mind up to new ideas and opportunities. It will be an experience I’ll never forget.”

During his time in England, Abebe will explore both cultural experiences and professional opportunities. He will visit international companies, attend career workshops and tour major cultural sites.

“This program will help me build career skills, grow more confident, and see how I can succeed in a global setting,” Abebe said.

Gray Howard described his Gilman Scholarship as life changing.

“It’s opening doors I never thought possible,” he said. “It’s allowing me to study abroad in a way that’s financially accessible, which is huge for me.

“More importantly, it’s giving me the chance to experience a new culture firsthand, something that will shape the way I see the world and approach my future career in marketing and international business.”

Howard, who is a member of the American Marketing Association, will study in Madrid, Spain, at the Universidad Carlos III, where he’ll take marketing and management courses.

“I’m excited to immerse myself in a new culture, expand my global perspective and explore how business principles are applied in an international context,” he said.

Travel abroad is important, Howard said, because “diversity in learning is essential to becoming a well-rounded student and global citizen.” It will also expose him to new teaching styles, cultural values and business strategies.

“The formulas stay the same, but in marketing and management culture plays a huge role in how ideas are shaped and delivered,” Howard said. “Spanish culture emphasizes community, consensus and collective success, perspectives that will deepen my understanding of leadership and consumer behavior.”

Ayusma Karki’s experience abroad in East Asia will be her first time traveling outside the United States.

“I hope to bring these experiences and knowledge back to the U.S. and impact others through the spaces I create,” she said.

Karki will have architecture studio classes in Vietnam and Taiwan through Taipei Tech University. She will also study in Cambodia.

At UK, Karki is a graphic design chair for the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students and for Beaux Arts Foundation. In the 2025-26 academic year, she will be conducting research with a faculty member as a Chellgren Fellow.

Among the things Karki is looking forward to in her experience abroad is studying the architectural styles of the places she’ll be visiting.

“I’m especially excited to learn how architecture is shaped by local materials, climate, and social practices in Vietnam, Taiwan and Cambodia,” she said. “Engaging directly with communities and observing how people interact with built spaces will further my understanding of design as a culturally rooted and human centered practice. I hope to return with new perspectives, not only about architecture, but also about the world and my place in it as a designer.”

Growing up in Appalachia, Madison Mitchell said making a trip to Lexington was always a big deal for her family. Being awarded the Gilman Scholarship is similarly broadening for her.

“Having the ability to have experiences that my family has never gotten to has really inspired me in my career to push on no matter how hard it has been,” she said.

Mitchell has done research on sepsis with Hiroshi Saito, Ph.D., in the College of Medicine, is secretary of End Overdose at UK and treasurer of the Appalachian Health Initiative. For her Gilman Scholarship experience, she will study global health and diseases in Amsterdam, examining how the Netherlands treats and diagnoses infectious diseases and comparing that to treatment and diagnosis in the United States.

She looks forward to experiencing cultural differences in her education abroad, a desire punctuated by the experiences she has had at UK that were different from where she grew up.

“The more time I spent in Lexington I realized that I have an entire culture of my own,” she said. “Appalachia is unique, and I understand the different ideas and ways of life because I live it every day. I love being able to realize that we all may be humans, but we are so vastly different.”

Emily Strahl will travel to Copenhagen to “learn about architecture through an entirely new lens.”

Strahl said she has a passion for creating, and that using her creativity and math skills to create spaces is fulfilling. She looks forward to taking that passion overseas, where she will take a studio course in Copenhagen, with study tour to Stockholm.

“I’m most looking forward to forming new connections,” Strahl said. “Being able to meet people from entirely different parts of the world will give me a new perspective both personally and professionally.”

Strahl counts among her influential professors Emine Seda Kayim, Ph.D., and Matthew Brooks, both of the College of Design.

Sophia Wielawski said she looks forward to enriching her understanding of global healthcare, which will help her in her future as a dentist. Her research will also prepare her for her education abroad in Central and Eastern Europe.

“I am currently conducting research on the history of dental care in the Soviet era,” Wielawski said. “During my study abroad, I will be interviewing former patients and dentists about their experiences with Soviet dentistry.”

Among the professors who have been most influential in her early academic career are Anna Voskresensky; Edward Lee, Ph.D.; Erin Koch, Ph.D.; and Molly Blasing, Ph.D.

“I look forward to immersing myself in the local culture and gaining a deeper understanding of health care perspectives outside of the U.S.,” Wielawski said.

John Wood will study Russian at Yerevan State University in Armenia.

“Not only is this a great opportunity to learn Russian language, but also to learn about the realities of life and culture in a former Soviet republic,” he said.

At UK, Wood has participated in the Step Up program, working alongside other volunteers to help local refugee and immigrant students complete their coursework and maintain their grades. Wood said Francis Musoni, Ph.D., has been influential in his own academic pursuits, having run the Step Up program and also writing a letter of recommendation for Wood to join Lewis Honors College. He also credits Allison Peoples of UK’s International Center with advising him on his education abroad.

During his time in Armenia, Wood said he will look forward to experiencing life in another nation.

“I’ve never had the opportunity to go out of the country like this,” he said. “I’m so excited to try new foods, meet new people and find new and interesting things.”