Twenty-Two UW Students Receive Prestigious Gilman Scholarship to Study Abroad

Twenty-two University of Wyoming students received Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarships from the U.S. Department of State to study abroad this summer or next spring.

The UW students, part of the spring 2025 round of recipients, received a total of $63,000 in scholarships toward their respective study-abroad programs in 12 different countries. 

Nearly 70 percent of the recipients are majoring in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, which are currently underrepresented in education abroad. This is the largest number of recipients ever to be selected from UW and marks a milestone for the university, showcasing an unprecedented level of global engagement for students and reaffirming the university’s commitment to empowering students for success on the world stage.

Each semester, the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program awards hundreds of undergraduate students with scholarships to participate in study-abroad programs in more than 90 countries worldwide. The recipients represent more than 500 U.S. colleges and all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. 

Shelley Jewell, director of UW Education Abroad, and Dianne Thompson, a UW Education Abroad adviser, serve as the UW Gilman advisers.

“We are seeing an increase in the amount of Gilman Scholarship applicants at UW, and the number of recipients this cycle is a testament to how competitive our students can be as prestigious scholarship applicants,” Thompson says. “We are delighted that these students will represent the University of Wyoming on an international stage.”

UW recipients, listed by hometown, are: 

Box Elder, S.D. -- Nina Bivens is a junior at UW-Casper studying communications. She will spend the upcoming fall semester at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland as part of the International Student Exchange Program.

Burlington -- Dusti Schatz is a sophomore majoring in marketing with a minor in honors. She will travel to the United Kingdom as part of the faculty-led “Identity and Political Obligation in Scotland” program this summer.

Burns -- Hope Langseth is a junior majoring in geospatial information science and technology with minors in honors and anthropology. She will travel to the United Kingdom and Italy this summer as part of the faculty-led “Honors: Shakespeare in England and Italy” program.

Casper -- Michaela Eddy is a senior majoring in international studies, religious studies, and human nutrition and food science, and minoring in Chinese and honors. She will complete a faculty-led “Multi-Cultural Experiences in Singapore and Malaysia” program this summer.

Cheyenne -- Melyssa Riggs is a senior majoring in wildlife and fisheries biology and management.  She will travel to Malaysia this summer as part of the faculty-led “Conservation through Habitat Restoration in Borneo” program. 

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Samantha Calvert is a senior majoring in anthropology. She will study in Italy with the University Studies Abroad Consortium for the fall semester.

Cheyenne -- Colton Riley is a junior majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in honors. He will participate in the faculty-led “Honors: Shakespeare in England and Italy” program this summer.

Cheyenne -- Zcherina Villegas is a sophomore majoring in English and anthropology and minoring in honors.  She will travel with fellow honors students this summer for the faculty-led “Shakespeare in England and Italy” program.

Dayton -- Liam O’Harra is a sophomore majoring in speech language and hearing sciences, with a minor in honors. He will complete an exchange program to Utrecht University in the Netherlands during the spring 2026 semester.

Dallas, Texas -- Olivia Covarrubio is a sophomore majoring in nursing. She will participate in the faculty-led “Exploration of Global Health in Italy” program this summer.

Fredericktown, Ohio -- Carissa Van Slyke is a senior double majoring in secondary education and mathematics with minors in Spanish, English as a second language, and honors. She will complete part of her student teaching in Quito, Ecuador, as part of the COST (Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching) program this fall.

Gillette -- Kannon Manke is a psychology major with minors in honors, German and chemistry. He will spend his senior year on an exchange to Oldenburg, Germany, during the 2025-26 academic year.

Gillette -- Jordan Westman is a junior majoring in chemical engineering. He will travel to South Korea on an exchange at Sungkyunkwan University for the fall semester.

Green River -- Zach Friel is a junior majoring in physiology. He will travel to Japan this summer to participate in the faculty-led “Modern Japanese Society and Culture” program.

Laramie -- Gage Hepworth is a junior majoring in computer science with minors in engineering, honors and mathematics. He will participate in the “Fall UW Rome Semester Program,” where he will take courses alongside fellow UW students and other students from around the world in Italy.

Mountain View -- Haylee Madsen is an elementary education major. She has been accepted to the COST program and will travel to Italy this fall to complete part of her student teaching requirement in the final semester of her senior year.

Powell -- Wyatt Heffington is a sophomore majoring in wildlife and fisheries biology and management. He will participate in a faculty-led program to Costa Rica this summer.

Rapid City, S.D. -- Abby Sherrill is a senior majoring in elementary education with a minor in psychology.  She has been accepted to the COST program, where she will complete part of her student teaching abroad in spring 2026. She has not yet received her placement location.

Rock Springs -- Gustavo Hernandez is majoring in physiology and minoring in honors. He will complete the faculty-led “Modern Japanese Society and Culture” program in Japan this summer.

Saratoga -- Logan Robinson is a sophomore majoring in geology and minoring in museum studies. He will complete the faculty-led “First-Year Experience: Geography of Bliss” program to Costa Rica this summer.

Sundance -- Mazelynn Sharp is majoring in kinesiology and health promotion and minoring in psychology. She will complete the faculty-led “Exploration of Global Health in Italy” program this summer.

Thermopolis -- Seth Needham is a sophomore majoring in energy resource management and development with a concentration in professional land management. He will participate in a faculty-led program in Costa Rica this summer.