Andrew Vo is intrigued by the language and culture of Japan. Brittany Chavez wants to gain multicultural views on humanity, international relations and social policy while studying in Bulgaria.

Both are recipients of the 2011 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. The scholarship program offers awards for undergraduate study abroad to students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two- or four-year college or university.

“Many Loyola students are prime candidates to apply for this outstanding award from the U.S. Department of State. I am excited that two students, Brittany and Andrew, were selected for the honor this year,” said Mariette Thomas, Study Abroad Advisor in the Center for International Education (CIE).

Chavez, a Psychology and Criminal Justice double major, was awarded $4,000 to study in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, for the Spring 2011 semester. There she will be studying Philosophy, Religion and Sociology while enrolled at the American University in Bulgaria through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP).

Vo, a Political Science major, was awarded $5,000 to continue studying abroad in Japan. Currently he is in Hirakata City at Kansai Gaidai University. As his semester program was coming closer to its end, he decided to reapply for a second semester abroad. He was awarded the Gilman scholarship for a Spring semester in Japan, this time at Nihon Univeristy in Mishima. His program, like Chavez's, is coordinated through ISEP.

Approximately 6,500 students across the U.S. have used the Gilman Scholarship to study in over 110 countries. The program encourages students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

During the Spring 2011 application cycle, the Gilman Scholarship Program received nearly 2,900 applications for over 850 awards. "The campus community can be very proud of Brittany and Andrew," said Thomas, who encourages other Loyola students to apply for the Gilman.