Samaira Thomas, an undeclared transfer student from California, Maryland, was named a spring 2025 recipient of a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State. Thomas will study literature in Ireland at University College Dublin in fall 2025.
"I'm grateful to have not only heard about the Gilman scholarship but to have the chance to apply and win is very surreal," said Thomas. "Writing my essays was difficult but rewarding, and seeing my success has proven my work's worth."
The U.S. Department of State awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to 3,500 American undergraduate students from all 50 states and the District of Columbia in spring 2025 to study abroad in over 170 countries. Over 70 percent of selected Gilman Scholars are from rural areas and small towns across the United States, and 55 percent are first-generation college students. Gilman Scholars are U.S. undergraduate students with high financial need as federal Pell Grant recipients. The Gilman Program received a record high of 17,000 applications across the 2024-2025 academic year.
Established by the U.S. Congress, the Gilman Scholarship is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is aided in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. To learn more about the Gilman Scholarship, visit gilmanscholarship.org.
