Seven College of Charleston students have received Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships to help fund overseas study and internships during the current academic year, the university announced. The awards, funded by the U.S. Department of State, target undergraduates with financial need and are intended to broaden who studies abroad from American campuses.
The recipients span four majors and multiple class years. Junior Gabbie Holt used the award to complete a three-month summer internship in Germany and finish requirements for her German studies major alongside psychology. Senior Deryah Hughes, a public health major, and senior Annie Mullins, in environmental and sustainability studies, were both selected. Sophomore Rebekah Neussl, also in environmental and sustainability studies, traveled to Costa Rica for hands-on conservation work with local groups.
Junior Adam Padgett, a marine biology major, and junior Michelle Rangel, a double major in political science and theatre, were also awarded. Rangel spent time in London, where she said the placement broadened her thinking about graduate school, public service and a career in theater. Junior Breanna Williams, a German studies and elementary education double major, rounded out the seven-student cohort.
Gilman awards are named for the late longtime U.S. Representative Benjamin A. Gilman of New York and are administered by the Institute of International Education for the State Department. The program does not publish a fixed dollar figure per student; awards are calibrated to the cost of the specific overseas program and can cover tuition, travel, housing and language study add-ons.
College of Charleston has consistently placed students in the Gilman program in recent years, part of a broader push at the downtown campus to expand study-abroad participation. The seven honorees this cycle continue that pattern, with placements distributed across Europe and Latin America rather than concentrated in a single region.
