Four Bard College students have been awarded Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships by the US Department of State, according to a May 20 announcement. The scholarships provide up to $5,000, or up to $8,000 with the Critical Need Language Award, to support costs associated with study abroad or internship programs.
The recognition is significant as it supports undergraduate students with high financial need in pursuing international education opportunities. Recipients are selected from across all 50 states and territories and will represent the United States in over 100 countries during their studies between May 2026 and May 2027.
Political science major Paola De La Cruz Valenzuela said, “I feel deeply honored to have been awarded the Gilman Scholarship and to join the Gilman community. I am truly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the ways it will support my academic experience abroad.” Literature major Lila Jigme Waxman commented on receiving support: “As a student on a large scholarship at Bard who nonetheless wants not to be held back from experiences by lack of money, this support from the Gilman Foundation has been the biggest relief in the gamble that I took trying to finance the study abroad program I was most passionate about, but did not have a tuition exchange option. Thanks to this scholarship, I feel like risks like this one are worth taking.”
Theater and performance major Lo Olivieri said about being named a scholar: “Winning a Gilman feels bittersweet right now as education programs are being ruthlessly cut. Programs like the Gilman Scholarship are vital to increasing access to quality education and I’m proud to make a case to the US Department of State about why they should invest in the education of a Theater major studying abroad in Berlin. I’m incredibly grateful and I hope we see the restoration of essential programs for education in the coming years.” Dance major Amaya Fernandez Guerrero also expressed gratitude: “I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited for the experiences ahead.”
The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is an initiative of Congress administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State with implementation support from Institute of International Education. The next application cycle will open in August 2026.
Bard College was founded in 1860 as a four-year residential liberal arts college located north of New York City offering nearly forty academic majors along with advanced degrees through fourteen graduate programs.
