CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship has been awarded to 42 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate students this spring.
“With 42 recipients, the U. of I. ranks among the top ten producers of Gilman Scholars across the county this term, supporting students from eight different U. of I. colleges cumulatively with $115,000 toward their studies abroad,” said David Schug, the director of the National and International Scholarships Program at Illinois. “An impressive 40% of our applicants received an award, twice the national average. The award gives these students not only a chance to study abroad but also represents the university across four different continents in the coming year.”
The Gilman recipients below are listed by their hometowns in Illinois, their majors and their study destinations. A recipient from New Jersey follows the list of Illinois hometowns.
Alsip — Ariyelle (Ari) Edwards, agricultural and consumer economics, Croatia
Barrington — Chase Bruksch, computer engineering, Japan
Bloomington — Quenton Bian, agricultural and consumer economics, Ireland; Jahzara Renée Norris, journalism, Greece
Bridgeview — Destiny Juarez, animal sciences, Brazil
Carbondale — Sarah Nicole Russell, studio art, Italy
Carol Stream — Jada Marie Paraoan, sustainable design, Japan
Champaign — Ethan Hung, finance + data science, Japan; Anel Monroy-Villeda, animal sciences, Brazil; Anggana Yudono, chemical engineering, Denmark
Chicago — Leslie Arellano-Gutierrez, engineering technology and management for agricultural systems, Italy; Jessica Chaidez, accountancy/finance, Spain; Litao Li, computer science, Japan; Natali Lopez, animal sciences, New Zealand; Cesar Efren Ramos, animal sciences, New Zealand; Kayla Latricia Woodard, English, Czech Republic
Des Plaines — Yasmin Conde, marketing/information systems, Argentina
Dolton — Ayomide (Celestial) Kay-Oladimeji, agricultural and consumer economics, Peru
Elkville — Micah Mae Davis, animal sciences, New Zealand
Fisher — Riley Parks, English, Thailand
Flossmoor — Michael Raymond VanHootegem, accountancy, Spain
Glendale Heights — Umalkhayr (Khayria) Abumaye, global studies, Netherlands
Homewood — Ifeoluwa Olamide Adeyinka, economics, United Kingdom
Lake Villa — Alessia Blasco, advertising, Italy
Lincolnwood — Ayman Moinuddin Jaddi, accountancy, Argentina
Mount Prospect — Olivia Natalia Fila, finance/accountancy, Czech Republic
Northlake — Ariel Diaz, civil engineering, Bolivia
Oak Lawn — Francisco Gomez, finance, Japan
Orland Park — Ashley Barbara Gacek, aerospace engineering, Brazil
Ottawa — Francesca Rose Eggersdorfer, psychology, Italy
Port Barrington — Rachael Adewumi, community health, Italy
Riverdale — Najah Terrell-Walker, elementary education, Italy
Romeoville — Anthony Alexander Zaca, finance, Spain
South Holland — Daniel Statam, agricultural and consumer economics, Peru
Village of Lakewood — Brittany Ann Wydra, food science and human nutrition, Greece
Fort Lee, N.J. — Jesslyn Jiwoo Kim, finance + data security, Hong Kong
The U.S. State Department has 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% of selected Gilman Scholars are from rural areas and small towns across the United States, and 55% 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 2024-25 academic year.
Editor’s note:
Six additional students from the University of Illinois received Gilman Scholarships but declined to be named. For more information, contact David Schug, National and International Scholarships Program director, 217-333-4710; topscholars@illinois.edu
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate student Almoatasim Shahbain received the Boren Award for intensive language study abroad during the 2025-26 academic year.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On March 11, 1944, my relative 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly, Jr. and 10 other crew members of a B-24 bomber named “Heaven Can Wait” were declared missing in action after being shot down somewhere over the waters of Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea. For our family, as for so many families […]
Read the transcript of the Commencement speech delivered by Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones at the 2025 universitywide Commencement ceremony.
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