10th Roanoke College student receives Gilman Scholarship
June 27, 2018
Olivia Streett '19 is the 10th Roanoke College student to receive the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This fall, Streett will study in Leipzig, Germany with the Roanoke program led by Dr. Robert Willingham. The goal of the program is to immerse students in both German language and culture with classes on topics of Germany, history and literary studies.
The Institute of International Education and the U.S. Department of State offer this competitive award to high achieving undergraduate students studying for at least three weeks outside of the United States. Streett is one of 1,201 students from 363 colleges and universities across the United States selected to receive this prestigious award.
"Having served on Gilman selection panels, I know how competitive this award is," said Jenny Rosti. "Olivia is an exceptional student who will embrace all the opportunities the Germany semester will offer. I'm thrilled that Gilman has deemed her worthy of investing in."
Streett, who is from Bel Air, Maryland, is majoring in history with a German minor and a concentration in Africa and African diaspora studies. She is a research assistant to Dr. Jesse Bucher and she is the vice president of the College's Historical Society.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to spend an extended amount of time in Germany to get a better feel for the culture," Streett said. "I also will be pursuing some research opportunities while abroad."
Gilman Scholars receive support for their study abroad or internship program costs. Scholarship recipients have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of other cultures, countries, languages and economies -- making them better prepared to assume leadership roles within government and the private sector. Since 2001, over 89,000 applications have been received and roughly 25,000 scholarships have been awarded.